ADVENTURES 


OF 


HARRY  FRANCO 


THE 

ADVENTURES 

OF 

HARRY     FRANCO, 

A  TALE  OF 

THE    GREAT    PANIC. 

f  *3>v  v-v 

IN    TWO    VOLUMES. 
VOL,     I. 


NEW  YORK : 

F.   SAUNDERS,   357   BROADWAY, 
1839. 


ENTERED, 
according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1839,  by 

FREDERIC  SAUNDERS, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States, 
for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


CRA1GHEAD  &  ALLEN,  PRINTERS, 
No.  H2  Fulton  Street,  New-York. 


HARRY    FRANCO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Being  the  beginning  of  the  Book,  is  very  properly  devoted  to 
the  beginning  of  the  Hero. 

ANCESTRAL. 

IT  is  a  generally  received  opinion  in  some  parts 
of  the  world,  that  a  man  must  of  necessity  have 
had  ancestors;  but,  in  our  truly  independent 
country,  we  contrive  to  get  along  very  well  with 
out  them.  That  strange  race,  called  Aristocrats, 
it  is  said,  consider  every  body  as  nobody,  unless 
they  can  boast  of  at  least  a  dozen  ancestors.  These 
lofty  people  would  have  scorned  an  alliance  with 
a  parvenu  like  Adam,  of  course.  What  a  fortu 
nate  circumstance  for  their  high  mightinesses,  that 
they  were  not  born  in  the  early  ages.  No  ante 
diluvian  family  would  have  been  entitled  to  the 

VOL.  I.  1 


BI46125 


IP  HARRY    FRANCO, 

slightest  consideration  from  them.  When  the 
world  was  only  two  thousand  years  old,  it  is 
melancholy  to  reflect,  its  surface  was  covered  with 
nobodies  ;  men  of  yesterday,  without  an  ancestry 
worth  speaking  of.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
that  such  a  set  of  upstarts  should  have  caused  the 
flood  ;  nothing  less  would  have  washed  away  their 
vulgarity,  to  say  nothing  of  their  sins. 
.  . -But.  ?ii  this  blessed  country,  as  is  known  to  all 
tlie  world,  men  rest  their  claims  to  notice  on  their 
own  merits  ;  and  as  we  neither  hold  ourselves 
accountable  for  the  vices,  nor  take  credit  to  our 
selves  for  the  virtues  of  our  ancestors,  it  will  not 
be  necessary  for  me  to  trace  my  pedigree  any 
farther  back  than  to  my  immediate  progenitor; 
and  of  him  I  shall  write  but  very  sparingly,  as  it 
is  my  intention,  in  these  pages,  to  confine  my 
narrative  to  my  own  personal  adventures. 

Every  body  has  heard  of  the  long  Embargo  ; 
but  every  body,  it  is  probable,  has  not  heard  as 
much  about  it  as  I  have.  It  was  by  that  wise  and 
patriotic  measure,  that  my  father  was  ruined  ;  and 
it  will  not  be  wondered  at,  that  it  should  have 
formed,  ever  after,  the  staple  of  his  conversation. 
It  was  not  the  fashion  in  those  days  for  a  man  to 
set  up  his  carriage  after  he  had  failed  in  business; 
so  my  father  conformed  to  the  custom  of  the  times, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  O 

as  he  would  have  done,  probably,  if  his  misfor 
tunes  had  overtaken  him  later  in  life,  and  having 
paid  all  his  honest  debts,  he  scraped  together  the 
odds  and  ends  that  were  left  to  him,  and  removed 
to  his  native  village,  there  to  await  for  better 
times ;  and  in  due  course  of  events,  I  made  my 
appearance  in  the  world. 

My  native  village  was  a  quiet  little  out-of-the- 
way  place,  about  a  day's  ride  from  one  of  the 
steamboat  landings  on  the  Hudson.  Like  every 
other  little  out-of-the-way  villagers  quiet  was  in 
appearance  only,  for  the  men  and  women  who 
made  up  its  body  politic,  were  as  much  under  the 
dominion  of  the  enemy  of  man's  peace,  as  ever 
were  the  dwellers  of  a  great  and  crowded  city.  Of 
this  fact,  my  unfortunate  parents  very  soon  became 
convinced.  My  father,  it  is  probable,  always  was 
convinced  of  it ;  but  my  mother,  who  was  city 
bred,  and  who  had  picked  up  her  ideas  of  human 
nature  from  novels  and  romances,  expected  to  find 
country  people  and  villagers,  as  innocent  as  the 
lambs  that  frisked  about  on  their  meadows  ;  and 
the  first  outbreak  of  uncharitableness,  which  she 
witnessed  in  her  new  neighbors,  caused  as  much 
astonishment  in  her  mind,  as  though  she  had  found 
a  thorn  on  the  stem  of  a  butter  cup. 

Having  thus  accounted   for  my  being  in  the 


HARRY   FRANCO 


world,  I  shall  close  this  chapter,  and  in  the  very 
next,  proceed  at  once  to  the  business  in  hand/  and 
relate  my  adventures  with  as  little  digression  as 
possible.  And  I  trust  that  my  kind  reader,  when 
he  shall  arrive  at  the  end,  will  not  be  compelled 
to  ejaculate,  as  the  old  woman  did  when  she  read 
the  dictionary  through  from  A.  to  izzard,  that  she 
could  make  neither  head  nor  tail  of  the  story. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Although  very  short,  will  contain  more  than  half  my  life. 

I  ONCE  had  a  maiden  aunt,  who  used  to  say  it 
was  easier  to  raise  children  than  chickens  ;  from 
which  it  might  be  proper  to  infer,  that  she  hated 
little  boys  and  girls,  and  loved  poultry.  The  in 
ference  may  be  true,  or  not ;  but  none,  except  the 
inexperienced,  will  doubt  the  truth  of  her  saying. 
Certain  it  is,  children  will  thrive  upon  means  in 
credibly  small ;  and  where  one  little  existence  is 
suffered  to  go  out  for  want  of  sustenance,  dozens 
are  surfeited  out  of  the  world,  before  they  are 
surfeited  with  it. 

I  had  one  sister  ;  she  was  two  years  older  than 
myself,  and  we  grew  up  together  almost  miracu 
lously  ;  for  my  father  having  expended  nearly  all 
his  means  in  a  legal  contest  with  a  stubborn  law 
yer,  had  but  a  trifle  to  bestow  upon  his  offspring. 
The  next  ten  years  of  his  existence  he  lived  upon 
hope,  expecting,  at  the  death  of  my  grandfather, 
who  was  rich,  to  come  into  possession  of  his  pro 
perty,  jointly  with  my  uncle.  But  my  grandfather 
was  an  implacable  old  man,  and  for  some  reason, 
which  I  never  rightly  understood,  he  took  a  dis- 
1* 


O  HARRY   FRANCO, 

like  to  my  father,  and  bequeathed  him  but  one 
dollar,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his  property  to  my 
uncle.  Although  the  disappointment  to  my  father 
was  very  great,  when  the  only  prop  upon  which 
his  hopes  rested  was  knocked  from  under  him,  yet 
the  reflection  that  his  father  had  gone  into  an  un 
changeable  existence  with  hatred  in  his  heart 
against  him,  gave  him  more  pain  than  the  mere 
loss  of  the  property.  When  the  full  extent  of 
our  misfortunes  was  known,  domestic  matters 
were  much  straiter  with  us  than  before  my  grand 
father's  death.  My  father  had  seemingly  lost 
all  his  energy  ;  and  my  mother,  to  solace  herself, 
took  to  two  articles  of  domestic  manufacture, 
which  owe  their  support  chiefly  to  indolent  old 
ladies,  and  romantic  young  ones ;  viz.,  novels 
and  snuff. 

My  sister  and  myself  were  left  to  follow  the 
bent  of  our  own  inclinations,  which  would  no 
doubt  have  led  us  into  the  street,  where  the  incli 
nations  of  young  folks  generally  lead  them,  had 
it  not  been  that  we  were  very  proud,  and  our  little 
hearts  could  not  brook  the  sight  of  our  cousins 
better  dressed  than  ourselves,  and,  as  we  were 
taught  to  believe,  at  our  expense.  We  had  no 
companions,  and  all  our  little  stock  of  knowledge 
was  gained  from  the  books  which  my  mother  read. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  7 

Miserable  food  it  was  for  the  minds  of  young  crea 
tures  like  us,  who  had  no  opportunities  of  correcting 
by  observation  the  strange  accounts  we  read  of  the 
world  we  lived  in.  And  so,  in  this  idle  manner  I 
grew  up,  ignorant  of  every  thing  around  me,  and 
with  dreamy,  ill-defined  apprehensions  of  the  way 
of  the  world.  I  had  attained  to  my  seventeenth 
year;  and  I  might  have  continued  until  now  doing 
nothing  better  than  reading  novels,  or  what  is 
worse,  perhaps,  writing  them,  had  it  not  been  for 
a  very  trifling  incident,  which  sent  me  forth  into 
the  world  to  encounter  the  adventures  which  I  am 
now  about  to  relate,  for  the  especial  instruction  and 
benefit  of  my  kind  reader. 


HARRY   FRANCO, 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  first  impulse  which  set  the  locomotive  of  my  destiny  in 
motion. 

IT  was  one  of  those  peculiar  days  in  March,  of 
which  the  words  bitter,  intense,  freezing,  chilly,  or 
piercing,  do  not  convey  an  adequate  idea,  but 
which  the  term  raw,  very  nearly  defines.  I  had 
been  on  an  errand  for  my  mother,  and  was  return 
ing  home  chilled  to  the  midriff,  for  I  had  neither 
cloak  nor  great  coat,  when,  as  I  turned  the  cor 
ner  of  the  street,  I  met  my  cousin  John,  who  was 
advancing  towards  me  clothed  in  a  handsome  sur- 
tout  with  a  fur  collar ;  his  flushed  cheek,  and  his 
laughing  mouth,  showed  how  well  at  ease  he  felt, 
and  how  well  he  was  defended  against  the  incle 
mency  of  the  weather.  He  was  a  proud,  over 
bearing  boy,  and  I  had  always  tried  to  avoid  him  ; 
but  I  encountered  him  so  suddenly  now,  that  I 
could  not  get  out  of  his  way  without  appearing  to 
be  either  afraid  or  ashamed  of  meeting  him. 

"  What,"  he  said,  tapping  me  on  the  shoulder 
with  his  rattan,  "  have  you  got  no  cloak  to  wear 
this  chilly  weather,  cousin  Harry  ?" 

"I  do'nt  mind  the  cold,"  I  said,  trying  to  look 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC. 

very  warm  and  cheerful,  although  my  lips  were  so 
benumbed  I  could  hardly  move  them. 

"I  see  you  do'nt,"  he  replied. 

I  felt  too  indignant  to  make  him  any  answer, 
and  I  turned  to  leave  him,  when  he  called  me 
back. 

"  I  will  tell  you  something,"  he  said,  "  if  you 
will  promise  not  to  let  on  to  any  body." 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked  eagerly,  thinking  it 
might  be^omething  in  relation  to  my  grandfather's 
estate. 

"  I  am  a  prophet,"  he  said. 

" Is  that  all!"  I  replied. 

"  O,  no,  not  quite  all ;  I  prophesy  that  you  will 
die  the  death  of  old  Cole's  dog  one  of  these  days. 
Do  you  know  what  complaint  he  died  of?" 

"No." 

"  He  died  of  pride  and  poverty."  And  so 
saying,  he  laughed  sneeringly,  and  we  parted. 

There  is  neither  heat  nor  cold,"  sunshine  nor 
gloom,  in  outward  nature  ;  they  exist  in  the  mind 
alone.  The  raw  east  wind  still  beat  in  my  face — 
the  long  icicles  still  hung  from  the  branches  of  the 
leafless  trees — the  ground  was  still  frozen  beneath 
my  feet,  and  my  back  was  still  unprotected  by  the 
friendly  warmth  of  a  furred  great  coat  —  but  I  no 
longer  shivered  with  the  cold  ;  the  blood  burned 


10  HARRY   FRANCO, 

in  my  veins,  and  the  sweat  started  upon  my  fore 
head.  The  words  of  my  cousin  entered  into  my 
heart ;  they  had  either  created  or  put  in  motion 
feelings  which  I  had  never  known  before.  In  a 
moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  I  was  changed. 
I  was  an  altered  being.  I  felt  desires  and  aspira 
tions  springing  up  within  me,  which  almost  drove 
me  mad. 

I  hurried  home,  and  throwing  myself  on  the 
floor,  covered  my  face  with  my  hands,  and  burst 
into  tears.  I  had  never  known  the  bitterness  of 
grief  before.  My  heart  seemed  to  be  running  out 
at  my  eyes,  and  at  each  sob  the  cause  of  my  grief 
seemed  but  to  increase.  My  mother  was  in  the 
middle  of  a  new  novel,  but  she  threw  it  aside,  and 
caught  me  in  her  arms,  and  began  to  examine  to 
see  if  my  limbs  were  broken  ;  and  my  sister,  with 
out  asking  the  cause  of  my  grief,  lifted  up  her 
voice,  and  wept  from  S3'mpathy.  My  father  looked 
on  in  silent  wonder,  until  finding  that  none  of  my 
bones  were  broken,  he  said  it  was  extremely  inde 
corous  for  a  lad  of  my  time  of  life  to  behave  so 
childish. 

I  could  make  no  reply  to  my  father's  remarks, 
nor  to  my  mother's  tender  inquiries,  other  than  to 
beg  them  to  ask  me  no  questions,  and  to  let  me  re 
tire  to  my  chamber. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  11 

"Alas!  alas!"  I  exclaimed,  when  left  to  my 
self,  "it  is  too  true;  I  shall  die,  as  my  cousin  has 
predicted  ;  pride  and  poverty  will  lead  me  to  an 
ignominious  grave.  I  must  live,  while  I  do  live, 
known  to  but  few,  and  despised  even  by  them;  and 
at  last  I  shall  die,  despised  by  myself." 

After  a  while  my  grief  began  to  subside ;  the 
fountain  of  my  tears  was  exhausted  ;  the  dreadful 
words  of  my  cousin  grew  more  and  more  indistinct, 
and  in  their  place  came  thronging  into  my  brain 
the  many  wonderful  stories  I  had  read,  of  good 
luck   befalling  the  poor  and  the   friendless  ;    of 
great  men  having  taken  a  fancy  to  adventurous 
boys,  who  had  left  their  homes  with  nothing  but  a 
wallet  and  a  mother's  blessing  ;  and  of  their  mak 
ing  their  fortunes,  and  returning  with  their  pock 
ets  lined  with  gold.     These  fine  stories,  it  is  true, 
were  nothing  but  fictions  ;    but  I  did   not  then 
know  nor  indeed  dream,  that  there  were  men  and 
women  in  the  world  wicked  enough  to  invent  sto 
ries  to  mislead  the  minds  of  the  young  and  simple. 
They  were  to  me  veritable  histories,  the  truth  of 
which  it  had  never  entered  into  my  head  to  call  in 
question.     And  so  I  asked    myself  why  I  miaht 
not  be  as  acceptable  to  fortune  as  others  who  had 
stood    in  need  of  her  favors,  and  boldly  sought 
them  at  her  hands ;  and  as  I  could  make  no  ob- 


12  HARRY   FRANCO, 

jection  to  this  very  reasonable  demand,  I  resolved 
at  once,  that  I  would  set  out  in  quest  of  a  fortune 
myself,  and  trust  to  that  friendly  divinity  for  aid, 
who  had  conferred  favors  on  others  no  better  en 
titled  to  them  than  myself. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  I  exclaimed,  in  the  pleasant  excite 
ment  of  my  feelings,  "  I  will  prove  my  cousin  a 
lying  prophet ;  I  will  gain  a  name  among  men — I 
will  become  rich  —  my  parents  shall  lean  on  me  as  a 
staff  in  their  old  age,  and  my  sister  shall  look  to 
me  for  support,  and  she  shall  not  look  in  vain." 

With  such  bold  exclamations  as  these  on  my 
lips,  and  with  high  resolves  in  my  heart,  I  fell 
asleep,  and  bright  and  pleasant  were  the  visions 
which  visited  me  in  my  slumbers.  When  I  awoke 
in  the  morning,  I  made  fresh  resolutions  to  avert 
the  doom  which  the  sneering  prophecy  of  my 
cousin  had  invoked  upon  my  head  ;  and  when  I 
told  my  parents  of  my  determination  to  seek  my 
fortune  in  the  w?orld,  they  made  fewer  objections 
than  I  had  anticipated.  In  truth,  I  believe  my 
father  was  not  at  all  displeased  to  have  the  respon 
sibility  of  providing  for  me  shifted  from  his  shoul 
ders  to  mine ;  and  my  mother  was  so  sanguine  of 
my  success,  that  she  could  not  find  it  in  her  heart 
to  oppose  my  wishes.  Indeed,  she  had  always 
said  I  should  some  day  get  to  be  governor, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  13 

and  my  early  ambition  she  considered  as  an  ear 
nest  of  my  future  greatness.  But  my  poor  sister 
did  nothing  but  cry  at  the  prospect  of  our  being 
parted,  and  for  her  sake  1  should  have  been  wil 
ling  to  give  up  all  my  ambitious  designs. 

After  many  days  spent  in  debating  the  subject, 
it  was  at  last  determined  that  my  father  should 
furnish  me  with  all  the  money  he  could  raise,  and 
that  I  should  proceed  to  New  York,  and  seek  for 
employment  as  clerk  in  a  counting  house,  it  being 
agreed  on  all  hands  that  that  was  one  of  the  genteel- 
est  avenues  which  led  up  to  the  temple  of  the  fickle 
goddess ;  for  it  was  a  primary  consideration  with 
my  parents,  that  whatever  I  did  should  be  done 
genteely.  But  I  made  a  mental  reservation  my 
self,  that  fortune  should  not  be  rejected,  let  her 
approach  in  what  guise  she  might,  but  particular 
ly  if  in  the  shape  of  a  young  and  beautiful  heiress. 
My  plan  of  operations  having  been  determined 
upon,  no  time  was  lost  in  getting  me  ready  for  my 
entrance  into  the  world.  Although  my  wardrobe 
was  by  no  means  extensive,  it  required  a  great 
many  days  to  complete  all  the  ripping  and  altering 
which  my  mother  considered  necessary.  I  thought 
there  would  never  be  an  end  to  the  preparation 
for  my  departure;  but  at  last  the  end  came,  and 
unfortunately,  the  last  article  of  dress  which  my 

VOL.  i.  2 


14  HARRY  FRANCO, 

mother  completed  was  a  white  Marseilles  vest, 
which  she  had  altered  out  of  an  old  one  of  my 
father's,  but  it  was  so  bespotted  with  tears  and 
snuff  I  was  never  able  to  wear  it ;  I  prized  it  more 
highly,  notwithstanding,  than  I  did  my  new  coat, 
which  was  made  at  the  tailor's.  Very  much  to 
my  surprise,  I  succeeded  in  packing  all  my  clothes 
into  a  small  hair  trunk,  which  had  been  a  travelling 
companion  of  my  father's  many  years  before ;  the 
corners  of  it  were  secured  with  strong  iron  clamps, 
and  the  top  was  studded  with  my  initials  in  brass 
nails;  altogether,  I  thought  it  made  a  very  grand 
appearance,  and  felt  very  proud  of  it.  All  things 
being  prepared,  the  night  before  my  departure  was 
spent  in  talking  over  with  my  parents  and  sister 
the  great  things  that  I  was  to  accomplish  in  the 
world  ;  and  every  moment  I  felt  myself  increase 
in  importance,  as  the  time  drew  near  when  I 
should  not  only  be  uncontrolled  in  my  actions, 
but  should  also  have  the  care  of  making  provision 
for  my  own  wants. 

As  you,  gentle  reader,  have  no  doubt  known 
the  sad  feelings  of  one  who  leaves  his  home  for 
the  first  time,  it  would  be  superfluous  to  relate 
what  mine  were  on  this  melancholy  occasion. 
Were  I  a  poet,  or,  indeed,  had  I  any  other  object 
in  view  than  simply  to  make  a  record  of  my  ad- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  15 

ventures,  this  would  afford  me  an  excellent  oppor 
tunity  for  dilating  to  the  very  edge  of  endurance 
upon  this  most  interesting  period  of  a  man's  life. 
But  I  shall  spare  the  reader  any  further  reflections 
on  this  momentous  occasion;  and  in  the  next  chap 
ter,  we  will  take  our  seats  together  in  the  stage 
coach,  and  so  proceed  on. 


16  HARRY    FRANCO, 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  departure  and  the  journey. 

THE  day  had  just  begun  to  show  itself  in  the 
east,  when  the  rattling  of  wheels  was  heard  ap 
proaching  nearer  and  nearer,  and  presently  the 
shrill  notes  of  the  stage  driver's  tin  horn  saluted  our 
ears.  It  was  the  signal  for  me  to  get  ready,  and 
I  obeyed  it  as  well  as  I  could  ;  but  my  eyes  were 
so  blinded  with  tears,  I  could  scarcely  see  to  do 
any  thing.  I  kissed  my  mother  and  sister  again 
and  again ;  and  when  the  coach  stopped  at  the 
door,  I  was  ready  with  my  trunk,  and  prepared  to 
step  in.  My  father  alone  had  followed  me  out, 
and  while  the  driver  was  securing  my  baggage, 
he  took  my  hand,  and  gave  me  a  few  words  of 
advice. 

"  Your  mother,  Harry,"  said  my  worthy  parent, 
"  is,  of  course,  entitled  to  your  affection,  and  it  is 
your  duty  to  obey  her  in  all  things,  as  the  good 
book  says;  but,  you  must  be  aware,  that  women 
are  not  the  fittest  persons  in  the  world  to  give  ad 
vice  to  young  men  on  their  entrance  into  the 
world;  therefore,  when  her  advice  comes  in  oppo 
sition  to  mine,  your  own  good  sense  will  tell  you 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  17 

that  mine  is  entitled  to  your  first  consideration. 
Never,  my  son,  be  ashamed  or  afraid  of  speaking 
to  any  body,  either  to  solicit  a  favor,  or  for  any 
other  purpose  ;  bear  in  mind  that  men  are  but 
men,  and  there  is  no  station  whatever  can  make 
more  of  them ;  we  are  all  very  much  alike,  and 
you  can  judge  from  your  own  feelings  that  there 
is  no  man  so  good  as  not  to  feel  secretly  flattered 
by  the  attention  of  any  body  who  will  notice  him. 
And  let  me  once  more  remind  you  never  to  eat 
an  egg  out  of  a  tumbler;  nature,  my  son,  has  be 
stowed  more  care  upon  eggs  than  upon  her  other 
productions,  and  has  furnished  in  their  shells  the 
vessels  out  of  which  they  should  be  eaten." 

The  driver  having  strapped  on  my  baggage, 
my  father  put  a  small  roll  of  bank  bills  into  my 
hand,  saying  it  was  all  he  had  to  give  me,  and 
that  I  must  use  it  with  discretion.  I  squeezed  his 
hand  in  reply,  jumped  into  the  coach,  and  the  next 
minute  I  was  fairly  on  my  journey.  The  first 
bound  of  the  coach  imparted  life  to  my  feelings, 
and  I  should  very  soon  have  been  in  a  high  state 
of  excitement,  but  we  soon  came  to  a  dead  halt  at 
the  post  office,  where  we  were  kept  waiting  half  an 
hour  or  more  for  the  post  master  to  make  up  his 
mail  bags.  At  length  the  mail  bags  were  ready, 
and  again  we  started,  and  again  we  stopped ;  it 


18  HARRY    FRANCO, 

was  at  the  tavern,  and  here  we  were  forced  to 
wait  another  half  hour  for  the  driver  to  get  his 
breakfast.  The  passengers  all  kept  their  seats, 
and  some  of  them  grew  very  impatient  at  the  de 
lay.  One  threatened  to  write  an  article  and  put 
into  the  papers,  and  others  proposed  appointing  a 
committee  to  wait  on  the  driver,  and  request  him 
to  hurry  with  his  breakfast ;  but  while  they  were 
debating  the  matter,  he  made  his  appearance  with 
a  cigar  in  his  mouth;  but  instead  of  jumping  on 
to  the  box,  as  he  ought,  he  stood  talking  quite 
composedly  with  the  hostler  about  his  horses.  A 
little  gentleman  who  sat  along  side  of  me,  dressed 
in  a  satinett  frock  coat  and  a  white  cravat,  put  his 
head  out  of  the  window,  and  spoke  to  the  driver. 

"Capting,"  said  the  passenger,  "I  wish  you 
would  be  so  good  as  to  let  us  be  going,  if  you 
please." 

"  O,  I  presume  there's  no  occasion  for  hurry 
ing,"  said  the  driver.  "Yes  there  is  though,  you 
pisen  critter,"  said  another  passenger,  ufor  I  shall 
have  a  note  protested  if  I  don't  get  to  Simpson- 
ville  before  three  o'clock." 

But  the  impatience  of  the  passengers  had  but 
little  effect  upon  the  driver,  who  continued  to  puff 
his  cigar,  and  talk  to  the  hostler;  when  he  did 
mount  the  box,  however,  truth  compels  me  to  say 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  19 

that  he  drove  in  handsome  style.  Good  humor 
was  soon  restored  among  all  the  passengers  but 
one,  a  very  pale  faced  man,  with  a  bombazine 
stock,  who  remarked  that  whoever  served  the  pub 
lic,  whether  he  held  the  reins  of  government  or  of 
a  stage  coach,  ought  never  to  be  behind  the 
wishes  of  his  employers. 

"  No  politics  if  you  please,  mister,"  said  a  red 
faced  gentleman ;  upon  which  the  discontented 
passenger  drew  his  chin  within  the  circumference 
of  his  bombazine  stock,  and  said  not  a  word. 

This  was  the  first  coach  I  had  ever  seen  the  in 
side  of,  and  it  appeared  to  be  a  very  grand  affair. 
The  cushions  were  stuffed  very  curiously  with  spi- 
rai  wires,  and  some  of  them  had  worked  through 
the  leather,  and  at  every  jolt  of  the  carriage  they 
scratched  me  very  unpleasantly,  besides  making  a 
rent  in  my  trowsers,  which  I  could  not  very  well 
conceal.  The  gentleman  who  sat  behind  me  said 
his  great  objection  to  wire  cushions  was,  that  they 
attracted  the  electric  fluid  in  a  thunder  storm.  But 
I  was  glad  to  observe  from  the  bright  face  of  the 
sky,  that  there  was  no  danger  of  a  storm  before 
our  journey  would  be  at  an  end.  There  were  just 
nine  passengers,  and  but  one  female  among  them  ; 
she  sat  opposite  to  me  on  the  front  seat,  but  as  she 
wore  a  green  hood,  I  had  not  been  able  to  catch  a 


20  HARRY    FRANCO, 

glimpse  of  her  face.  A  very  finely  dressed  young 
gentleman  sat  next  to  her,  and  from  his  magnifi 
cent  appearance,  I  set  him  down  for  the  governor's 
son  at  the  least ;  for  I  had  then  no  idea  of  the 
cheapness  of  finery,  or  that  a  governor's  son  could 
dress  in  any  other  than  the  very  genteelest  clothes. 
He  wore  a  lilac  calico  shirt,  with  a  little  ruffle 
bristling  in  the  bosom,  and  a  cameo  breast-pin  al 
most  as  large  as  a  saucer;  he  appeared  quite  un 
conscious  of  there  being  any  body  in  the  coach 
besides  himself,  for  he  amused  himself  by  whistling 
a  tune,  and  occasionally  tapping  the  side  of  his 
long  nose  with  a  little  ebony  stick  which  he  car 
ried  in  his  hand.  After  we  had  travelled  some 
distance,  he  turned  to  the  young  lady,  and  asked 
her  if  she  didn't  consider  Bulwer  a  very  powerful 
writer. 

The  young  lady  raised  her  head,  so  that  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her  face,  and  replied  in  the 
sweetest,  gentlest  voice  I  had  ever  heard,  that  she 
had  never  read  his  works. 

"  What !  never  read  Pelham,"  exclaimed  the 
magnificent  gentleman,  in  apparent  astonishment. 

"  1  have  not,  indeed,"  replied  the  young  lady, 
more  sweetly,  if  possible,  than  before. 

"  Then  I  pity    you,"    said  the  supposed  go- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  21 

As  this  remark  seemed  expressive  of  disrespect 
for  the  young  lady,  I  thought  I  had  a  right  to  re 
sent  it,  for  I  had  conceived  a  liking  for  her  the 
moment  she  spoke. 

"  I  have  not  read  Bulwer  either,"  I  said  smartly. 

"  Then  I  pity  you"  said  the  gentleman. 

I  felt  highly  indignant  at  this  cool  reply,  but  I 
remembered  the  advice  which  my  father  gave  me, 
never  to  speak  when  I  was  in  a  passion,  and  so  I 
bit  my  lips  and  remained  silent. 

"Is  Pelham  a  good  thing?"  inquired  one  of 
the  passengers. 

"  It's  splendid,"  replied  the  gentleman ;  "  so 
sentimental." 

After  this,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  conversa 
tion  on  various  subjects  among  my  fellow  travel 
lers,  all  of  which  I  remember  very  distinctly,  for 
I  noted  the  leading  ideas  at  the  time  in  my  memo 
randum  book ;  but  as  I  have  doubts  about  its 
possessing  much  interest  for  the  general  reader, 
I  shall  relate  no  more  of  it. 

I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  be  very  polite  to  the 
young  lady  on  the  very  first  occasion  which  should 
offer  ;  but,  when  we  stopped  at  the  Eagle  Tavern 
to  dine,  instead  of  helping  her  out  of  the  carriage, 
my  attention  was  so  completely  absorbed  by  the 


22  HARRY    FRANCO, 

exhibition  of  a  monstrous  circus  handbill,  that  I 
left  that  delicate  duty  to  be  performed  by  the  Lam 
bert-like  landlord  of  the  tavern.  As  I  stood  gaz 
ing  with  intense  curiosity  at  the  grotesque  figure 
of  the  clown  in  the  handbill,  somebody  struck  me 
a  smart  blow  with  a  rattan  across  my  shoulders, 
which  caused  them  to  smart  not  a  little,  and  turn 
ing  around  briskly,  I  perceived  it  was  the  finely 
dressed  gentleman  with  the  calico  shirt,  who  had 
given  me  this  gentle  tap  ;  I  felt  strongly  disposed 
to  be  angry,  but  as  he  seemed  to  consider  it  a 
good  joke,  I  thought  it  was  one  of  the  ways  of 
the  world  ;  and  I  remembered  that  my  father  had 
told  me,  that  if  I  set  myself  up  in  opposition  to 
them,  I  should  have  a  rough  time  of  it. 

"Come,  Colonel,"  said  the  gentleman,  slapping 
me  on  the  shoulder,  "  what'll  you  take?" 

" Nothing,   I  thank  you,"  I  replied,  "I  have 
taken  enough  already." 

"  What !   don't  you  liquorate  ?" 

I  shook  my  head,  for  I  did  not  exactly  under 
stand  him. 

«  Don't  drink,  hey  ?" 

"  Sometimes,"  I  answered. 

"What!  temperance  man?    Signed  a  pledge?" 

"  No,  I  have  not  signed  a  pledge  not  to  drink." 

"  Then  you  shall  take  a  horn,  so  come  along." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  ^O 

And  so  saying,  he  dragged  me  up  to  the  bar. 
"  Now  what'll  you  take  ?  julep,  sling,  cocktail,  or 
sherry  cobbler  ?" 

'*  Any  thing  you  choose,"  I  replied,  for  I  had 
not  the  most  remote  idea  what  the  drinks  were 
composed  of  which  he  enumerated. 

"  Then  give  us  a  couple  of  cocktails,  bar-keep 
er,"  said  the  gentleman,  "  and  let  us  have  them  as 
quick  as  you  damn  please,  for  I  am  as  thirsty  as 
the  great  desert  of  Sahara,  which  old  Judah  Pad 
dock  travelled  over." 

I  was  shocked  to  hear  such  language  from  a 
gentleman  who  dressed  so  genteely,  and  who  pro 
fessed  to  be  an  admirer  of  Bulwer  ;  but  I  kept 
my  thoughts  to  myself,  and  watched  the  bar-keep 
er  as  he  mixed  the  cocktails  :  they  were  a  mixture 
of  gin  and  water,  and  sugar  and  nutmeg,  and  a 
few  drops  of  a  red  liquid,  which  he  poured  out  of 
a  little  cruet  like  an  ink  bottle  with  a  quill  stuck 
in  the  cork. 

My  companion  tossed  off  his  cocktail  almost 
at  a  single  swallow,  smacked  his  lips,  and  pro 
nounced  the  gin  damn'd  splendid.  But  the  splendor 
of  the  gin  proved  too  much  for  my  unpractised 
throat,  for  in  my  attempt  to  imitate  my  companion 
in  pouring  down  the  cocktail,  it  almost  took  away 
my  breath,  which  gave  the  black  hostler  and  the 


24  HARRY    FRANCO, 

bar-keeper  such  lively  pleasure  that  they  came  near 
laughing  themselves  into  convulsions. 

The  bell  soon  rang  for  dinner,  and  I  followed 
my  fellow  traveller  into  the  dining  room,  and  took 
a  seat  at  table  by  the  side  of  a  jolly  looking  dou- 
ble-chinned  gentleman,  who,  as  he  drew  his  chair 
up  with  one  hand,  reached  out  the  other  and 
seized  a  covered  dish>  one  half  the  contents  of 
which  he  emptied  into  his  own  plate  ;  and  I  emp 
tied  the  remainder  into  mine. 

"  That's  right,"  said  the  double-chinned  gen 
tleman,  "  always  eat  oysters  at  a  place  like  this, 
because  you  can  eat  them  quick  ;  no  bones  to 
bother  you,  toast  soft,  too,  nice  and  brown. 
What's  that,  mace  ?  mace,  I  declare  !  Capital  ! 
What  a  fat  one  !  it  just  fills  up  the  mouth,  touches 
all  the  organs  of  taste  at  the  same  time,  and  leaves 
nothing  to  be  desired.  Delicious !  what  a  fat 
one !  Lovely !  I  knew  a  man  once,  an  ac 
quaintance  of  mine  —  first  rate,  ain't  they  ? —  an 
acquaintance  of  mine  who — best  stew  I  ever  sat 
down  to  !  —  'quaintance  of  mine  who  —  lovely  ! 
—  most  expeditious  eater  I  ever  knew  ;  never  was 
gone  from  his  store  more  than  fifteen  minutes  to 
his  dinner  ;  in  twelve  months  eat  himself  into  dys 
pepsia  ;  next  twelve,  into  consumption ;  travelled 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  25 

on  a  railroad  for  his  health ;  next  twelve  months 
on  his  way  to  kingdom  come  —  in  his  grave." 

"  He  was  expeditious,"  I  said,  drawing  a  long 
breath,  and  laying  down  my  spoon  as  I  finished 
the  last  oyster  upon  my  plate.  The  double- 
chinned  gentleman  finished  his  at  the  same  mo 
ment,  although  he  had  been  talking  all  the  while, 
and  I  had  not  spoken  a  word. 

"  Very,  iwdeed,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  my  re 
mark,  "  very  expeditious.  He  lived  wretchedly, 
but  he  died  rich." 

"  Poor  fellow  !"  I  exclaimed. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  he  repeated ;  "  why  he  was  pre 
sident  of  a  bank  ;  poor  fellow,  indeed  !  he  left  a 
great  estate.  But  don't  waste  time ;  let  me  help 
you  to  a  piece  of  this  steak ;  how  do  you  like  it  ? 
speak  quick." 

"  I  have  no  choice,  I  thank  you,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  What,  no  choice,  no  choice,  bless  me  !" 

"  None,  sir." 

"  Then,  my  friend,  do  allow  me  the  pleasure  of 
choosing  for  you.  What  a  steak  !  how  rich  !  what 
juice  !" 

The  ejaculations  of  my  jolly  companion,  and 
the  sight  of  the  juicy  steak,  caused  my  mouth  to 
overflow. 

"  delicious,  ain't  it  ?"  he  said. 

VOL.  I.  3 


26  HARRY   FRANCO, 

"  Very." 

"  Very  indeed,  very,  how  tender ;  what  bread  ! 
Salt,  sir  ?" 

«  Thank  you." 

"Stop  a  moment,  don't  disturb  it;  let  me  tell 
you  a  secret.  When  you  sit  down  at  a  table,  al 
ways  look  at  the  salt  first ;  you  will  find  it  a  sure 
index  of  the  quality  of  the  fare,  nine  times  out  of 
ten.  Never  knew  it  to  fail.  Now  look  at  this, 
ain't  it  a  gem  ?  none  of  your  finical  flutings  and 
notchings  about  it ;  but  a  piece  of  plain  unpre 
tending  glass,  polished  like  a  diamond.  How 
nicely  it  is  filled,  how  smooth  and  white  on  its 
surface  :  it  looks  like  a  piece  of  alabaster  inserted 
in  a  crystal.  How  fine  and  spotless !  look,  it 
scarce  touches  the  steak  before  it  is  dissolved  ;  not 
a  particle  of  it  will  grate  against  your  teeth,  but 
its  delicate  flavor  will  gratify  your  palate  without 
your  being  at  all  aware  that  you  owe  an  exquisite 
enjoyment  to  so  common  an  article  as  salt.  See, 
the  little  heap  on  the  side  of  your  plate  looks  like 
a  snow  flake  just  fallen." 

"  Salt  is  certainly  a  great  thing,"  said  the  gen 
tleman  with  the  lilac  shirt,  who  sat  opposite,  and 
who  had  been  listening,  with  his  knife  and  fork 
suspended,  to  the  remarks  of  my  double-chinned 
friend. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  27 

"  'Tis  indeed,  a  very  great  thing,  very  iwdeed." 
"  Quite  an  article  of  commerce,"  said  the  other. 
"I  should'nt  wonder  if  Congress    laid    a   duty 
upon  it." 

"  T  should'nt  wonder,"  replied  the  jolly  gentle 
man,  winking  slyly  at  me. 

"  Where  on  earth  does  salt  corne  from?" 
"Knowing,  aint  he  ?"  said  the  jolly  gentleman, 
aside  to  me. 

"Quite  an  extensive  assortment  on  the  table,' ' 
remarked  the  elegantly  dressed  gentleman,  appa 
rently  ambitious  of  being  noticed  by  the  double- 
chinned  gentleman.  But  his  sagacions  remark 
gained  him  no  further  notice  from  the  object  of 
his  attention,  for  just  at  that  moment  the  tin  trum 
pet  of  the  driver  was  heard,  and  a  general  rush 
took  place  from  the  dinner  table  to  the  bar-room, 
and  after  paying  half  a  dollar  a  piece  for  our  din-? 
ner,  we  scrambled  into  the  stage  again  ;  the  young 
lady,  I  blush  while  I  write  it,  was  handed  in  by 
the  driver,  after  all  were  seated. 

"  Do  you  know  the  name  of  that  individual 
who  helped  you  to  steak  ?"  asked  the  supposed 
governor's  son  in'  a  whisper. 

"  No,  Sir,  I  do  not,"  I  replied ;  "  do  you  ?" 
"  I  know  him  all  to  pieces,"  replied  the  gentle^ 
man. 


28  HARRY   FRANCO, 

"  Who  is  he  ;  some  great  man  ?" 

"  He  is  so.  He  is  the  celebrated  Mr.  Bulbief, 
the  importer  of  spool  cottons." 

I  looked  again  at  Mr.  Bulbief,  but  he  had  co 
vered  his  face  with  his  pocket  handkerchief,  and 
was  apparently  sound  asleep.  I  should  soon  have 
dropped  asleep  myself — but  I  sat  on  the  middle 
seat,  with  a  gentleman  each  side  of  me,  who  com 
menced  smoking  segars,  very  much  to  my  annoy 
ance.  I  thought  it  was  ungentlemanly,  and  I  had 
a  good  mind  to  have  told  them  so,  for  the  smoke 
made  me  deadly  sick  ;  but  I  bore  in  mind  my  fa 
ther's  saying,  "  that  in  private,  as  well  as  in  public, 
the  will  of  the  majority  ought  to  be  the  law,  even 
though  the  minority  suffer  in  consequence ;"  and 
I  bore  the  nauseous  smoke  from  principle  as  long 
as  I  could,  for  I  supposed  there  was  a  point  of  endu 
rance,  beyond  which  rebellion  would  be  justifiable. 
When  they  lighted  fresh  cigars,  I  ventured  to  hint 
that  the  smoke  might  not  be  agreeable  to  the 
young  lady.  Whereupon  one  of  the  smokers  re 
plied,  "  that  he  would  not  smoke  another  cigar  if  it 
was  productive  of  the  least  discomfort  to  her;  but 
he  presumed  the  fragrance  was  rather  pleasant 
than  otherwise,  as  he  smoked  none  but  the  best  re 
galias,  which  cost  him  three  cents  apiece." 

41  J  should  be  sorry  to  deprive  the  gentleman  of 


A  TA1E  OF  THE  PANIC.  29 

a  pleasure,"  replied  the  young  lady,  very  much 
to  my  mortification. 

"  I  thought  so,"  replied  the  smoker,  lighting 
another  cigar. 


30  HARRY    FRANCO, 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Steamboat. 

IT  was  dark  when  we  reached  the  landing  place 
on  the  river,  and  we  had  but  just  time  to  get  our 
baggage  on  to  the  dock,  before  we  heard  the  dis 
tant  ringing  of  the  steamboat  bell,  which  was  soon 
followed  by  the  noise  of  her  wheels  splashing  in 
the  water,  and  the  hissing  of  the  steam,  and  then 
the  boat  herself  came  in  sight,  vomiting  forth 
smoke  and  fire.  It  was  the  first  steamer  I  had 
ever  seen,  and  the  dim  outline  of  her  huge  form, 
partially  illuminated  by  the  lights  on  her  deck,  as 
she  floated  past  on  the  dark  bosom  of  the  river, 
filled  my  mind  with  extravagant  and  grotesque 
ideas  of  her  size  and  shape.  As  I  stood  gazing 
at  her  with  absorbing  curiosity,  a  small  boat  sud 
denly  darted  up  to  the  dock  with  the  velocity  of 
lightning,  the  sparkling  white  foam  rising  from 
her  bows  like  a  snow  drift.  Two  men  jumped  on 
to  the  dock,  and  began  to  throw  the  baggage  into 
the  boat,  and  one  by  one,  my  companions  in 
travel  all  disappeared.  I  was  completely  bewil 
dered,  and  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  myself. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  31 

"  Bear  a  hand,"  cried  a  gruff  voice  from  the 
boat,  "or  you'll  be  left." 

"  Why  don't  you  get  in,  boss  ?"  said  one  of  the 
men  on  the  dock. 

"  I  don't  see  how  I  can,"  I  replied,  looking 
over  the  end  of  the  wharf.  Without  more  ado, 
somebody  gave  me  a  push,  and  I  tumbled  head 
long  into  the  boat ;  fortunately,  I  lighted  upon  a 
heap  of  carpet  bags,  and  although  I  was  not  much 
hurt,  I  was  most  terribly  frightened.  The  boat 
was  drawn  with  amazing  velocity  through  the  wa 
ter,  and  we  were  very  soon  alongside  of  the  steam 
er.  The  passengers  scrambled  on  board,  but  as 
I  had  so  far  recovered  my  senses  as  to  perceive 
my  beautiful  fellow  traveller  sitting  in  the  stern 
of  the  boat,  I  resolved  not  to  let  this  last  opportu 
nity  escape  of  showing  my  gallantry,  and  seeing 
somebody  near  her,  I  stepped  briskly  past,  and 
asked  her  if  I  should  have  the  pleasure  of  assist 
ing  her  out  of  the  boat ;  she  thanked  me  very 
sweetly,  and  took  hold  of  my  extended  hand  ;  but 
as  I  stepped  back  my  foot  slipped,  and  I  fell  my 
whole  length  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  When 
I  got  upon  my  feet  again,  she  was  gone.  I  hob 
bled  on  board  the  steamer,  but  I  could  see  no 
thing  of  her ;  I  had  caught  her  pocket  handker 
chief  in  my  fall,  and  as  I  could  not  find  her  to  re- 


32  HARRY   FRANCO, 

store  it,  I  put  it  into  my  pocket,  to  keep  in  remem 
brance  of  her. 

The  deck  of  the  steamboat  was  crowded  with 
passengers,  and  a  little  bow-legged  negro  was  run 
ning  about,  with  a  bell  in  his  hand,  crying  out, 
"passengers  what  hasn't  paid  his  passages  ull 
please  call  to  the  capn's  office  and  set-tel."  So 
I  obeyed  the  call  of  the  little  negro,  and  having 
paid  my  passage,  I  ascended  a  pair  of  stairs  close 
by,  and  found  myself  alone  on  the  upper  deck. 
There  was  no  moon,  but  the  stars  were  shining  in 
all  their  brightness  and  beauty,  and  by  their  light 
I  could  trace  the  outline  of  the  banks  of  the  river, 
which  rose  high  above  my  head  in  black  and  in 
distinct  masses.  The  water  looked  black  and  cold, 
and  the  night  wind  was  damp  and  chilly.  Below, 
all  was  light  and  life ;  but  here,  a  step  removed,  all 
was  solitary,  dark,  and  still.  I  took  the  handker 
chief  of  my  beautiful  fellow-traveller  from  my  pock 
et  and  kissed  it,  and  pressed  it  to  my  heart ;  I  felt 
very  grand,  and  clasped  my  hands  together,  and 
looked  up  to  the  stars,  but  blushed  as  the  thought 
crossed  my  mind,  that  they  might  be  intelligent  ex 
istences,  which  were  looking  down  into  my  breast, 
and  reading  my  thoughts. 

I  now  felt  that  I  was  in  reality  afloat  upon  the 
wide  world,  ignorant  of  its  ways,  with  no  definite 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  33 

object  of  pursuit,  and  with  but  slender  means  of 
support.  I  thought  of  my  mother  and  sister,  and 
my  eyes  filled  with  tears.  Vague  and  indistinct 
apprehensions  of  evil  rushed  through  my  mind, 
and  I  looked  forward  to  the  termination  of  my 
journey,  and  the  return  of  day,  with  dread.  And 
then  I  called  to  mind  the  scornful  prediction  of  my 
proud  cousin,  and  the  feelings  it  awakened  absorb 
ed  all  others.  I  threw  my  hands  above  me  with 
a  feeling  of  confidence  and  pride,  and  I  vowed 
never  to  despair,  nor  to  slacken  in  my  exertions, 
until  I  had  attained  to  wealth  and  fame,  and  prov 
ed  my  haughty  cousin  a  liar. 

To  prevent  a  return  of  dull  and  gloomy  forebo 
dings,  I  left  the  upper  deck,  and  found  my  way 
down  into  the  cabin,  where  the  brilliancy  and 
gayety  of  the  scene  completely  staggered  me  ;  so 
great  was  the  change  from  darkness  and  solitude, 
to  light  and  revelry.  The  cabin  was  crowded  with 
passengers  ;  some  were  lolling  on  the  sofas ;  some 
were  reading  ;  but  the  greater  part  were  clustered 
around  the  card  tables,  where  they  were  playing 
for  money.  My  fellow  traveller  in  the  lilac  shirt 
was  dealing  out  the  cards  at  one  of  these  tables, 
and  after  dealing  them  round  for  a  few  times,  he 
exclaimed,  "  vantoon,"  and  without  more  ceremo 
ny,  he  caught  up  a  little  heap  of  sixpences  and  shiK 


34  HARRY   FRANCO, 

lings,  and  rose  up  from  the  table ;  and  seeing  me 
standing  by,  took  me  by  the  arm,  and  would  make 
me  drink  with  him  at  the  little  bar  at  one  end  of 
the  cabin;  and  then  we  went  on  deck  together, 
when  he  pulled  out  his  pocket  book,  and  asked  me 
to  accept  his  card  ;  it  was  as  follows  : 

J.  SMITH  DAVIS  &  CO. 
DRY  GOODS  JOBBERS, 

HANOVER    SQUARE, 

NEW  YORK. 

Presented  by  J.  LCMMUCKS. 
i  j 

I  read  this  card  over  and  over  several  times  be 
fore  I  could  exactly  understand  its  import;  but  the 
thought  occurred  to  me  that  it  was  intended  for  an 
introduction,  and  that  my  new  friend  must  be  Mr. 
Lummucks.  I  felt  very  much  embarrassed,  for  I 
had  no  card  of  my  own  to  return,  and  I  was  at  a 
loss  how  to  make  myself  known  to  him. 

"  Mr.  Lummucks,  I  presume  ?"  I  said,  inquir 
ingly. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  gentleman,  lifting  his  hat. 

"I  have  no  card  about  me,"  I  said,  "  but  my 
name  is  Franco." 

"  Mr.  Franco,  how  do  you  do,"  said  Mr.  Lum 
mucks,  taking  my  hand  and  shaking  it  very  warm- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  35 

ly,  as  though  he  had  met  with  an  old  friend  after  a 
long  separation,  "  I  am  very  happy  to  see  you." 

"  I  arn  very  well,  I  thank  you,  sir,"  I  replied, 
with  as  much  solemnity  as  though  I  had  an  insur 
ance  upon  his  life,  "  how  is  your  health  f" 

So  our  introduction  being  over,  we  talked  quite 
freely  again,  and  I  thought  Mr.  Lummucks  was 
the  noblest  hearted,  the  genteelest,  and  the  finest 
fellow  breathing ;  and  I  looked  upon  it  as  a  very 
favorable  omen,  that  I  should  in  the  very  outset  of 
my  career,  gain  the  friendship  of  so  fine  a  gentle 
man.  Finding  that  I  was  unacquainted  in  New 
York,  he  invited  me  to  go  with  him  to  the  City 
Hotel,  where  he  lived.  I  promised  to  do  so,  and 
we  parted  for  the  night. 

Being  tired  and  sleepy,  I  went  down  into  the 
cabin  again  to  go  to  bed,  but  to  my  amazement,  I 
found  not  only  all  the  births  occupied  with  sleepers, 
but  all  the  settees,  and  chairs,  and  tables.  I  look 
ed  all  about,  but  I  could  find  no  vacant  spot  to 
stretch  myself  out  upon.  The  cabin  was  very  warm, 
and  the  air  disagreeable,  and  the  music  of  three  or 
four  hundred  men  snoring  in  concert,  was  any 
thing  but  pleasant.  I  went  on  deck  again,  and 
having  found  a  vacant  place,  I  spread  out  my  plaid 
cloak  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  Seeing  something 


36  HARRY   FRANCO, 

round  and  glossy  near  me,  and  supposing  it  to  be 
a  pumpkin,  I  rested  my  head  upon  it  for  a  pillow, 
and  should  very  soon  have  been  fast  asleep,  but  for 
the  difficulty  of  keeping  it  steady.  It  kept  rolling 
away  from  under  my  head,  till  at  length  I  caught 
hold  of  it  with  both  hands,  determined,  if  possible, 
to  keep  it  still. 

"Murdther!  murdther  !  murdther!"  cried  out  a 
voice  close  by  my  ear.  I  started  up  affrighted,  and 
half  a  doxen  men,  in  red  shirts  and  begrimed  faces, 
came  running  to  the  place  where  I  lay,  when  I  dis 
covered  by  the  light  of  a  lantern,  which  one  of 
them  carried,  that  the  pumpkin  which  I  had  been 
trying  to  keep  under  my  head,  was  the  bald  pate 
of  a  drunken  deck  passenger.  When  I  had  suc 
ceeded  in  convincing  the  men  that  I  had  no  mur 
derous  designs  upon  the  deck  passenger,  I  crept 
away  to  another  part  of  the  boat,  and  was  soon 
fast  asleep. 

When  I  awoke,  it  was  broad  day  light,  the  boat 
had  arrived  at  the  wharf,  and  the  passengers  were 
hurrying  ashore  ;  I  jumped  up  and  rubbed  my 
eyes,  very  much  alarmed,  for  fear  that  Mr.  Lum- 
mucks  had  gone  off  and  left  me  ;  but  luckily  I 
found  him,  and  he  called  a  coach,  and  we  rode  up 
to  the  City  Hotel  together,  where  I  was  accommo- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  37 

dated  with  a  room  in  the  fifth  story  ;  it  was  a  weary 
long  way  up  to  it,  and  when  I  got  there,  I  felt  no 
disposition  to  go  down  again.  I  had  never  been 
so  far  from  the  earth  before. 


VOL.  I. 


38  HARRY  FRANCO, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

My  first  dinner  at  a  Hotel,  and  the  consequences  of  taking  wine 
too  freely.    • 

HAVING  thrown  myself  upon  the  bed,  I  slept  until 
the  bell  summoned  me  to  dinner.  I  dressed  my 
self,  and  hurried  down  to  the  dining  room;  and  see 
ing  at  a  glance  that  there  was  no  standing  upon 
ceremony,  took  a  seat  at  one  of  the  long  tables, 
which  were  spread  the  whole  length  of  a  very  long 
room.  I  eat  a  plate  of  black  looking  soup  which 
was  placed  before  me,  and  then  waited  to  be  help 
ed  to  something  else,  but  nobody  spoke,  nor  even 
looked  at  me.  There  was  a  constant  shouting  of 
"  waiter  !  waiter  !  waiter  !"  and  a  confused  noise 
of  the  popping  of  corks,  the  rattling  of  dishes,  and 
the  smacking  of  lips,  enough  to  have  confused  my 
senses,  if  they  had  not  been  sharpened  by  hunger. 
The  gentleman  who  sat  at  my  left  hand,  was  a  lank 
cadaverous  looking  personage,  with  long  black 
hair,  and  keen  glossy  eyes ;  he  wore  a  white  cam 
bric  cravat,  tied  in  a  large  bow  knot  in  front,  the 
projecting  points  of  which  had  intercepted  not  a 
few  droppings  of  tobacco  juice  ;  he  spoke  in  a 
drawling  effeminate  voice,  but  in  a  peremptory 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  39 

manner,  to  a  stout  negro  man  who  stood  behind 
his  chair,  and  jumped  at  his  commands  with  the 
greatest  alacrity,  while  I  could  not  get  a  waiter  to 
listen  to  me.  There  was  a  decanter  of  wine  stand 
ing  between  this  gentleman's  plate  and  mine,  with 
a  piece  of  paper  stuck  round  the  neck,  on  which 
was  marked  No.  49,  which  I  took  for  the  number 
of  the  cask  out  of  which  it  was  drawn. 

Finding  that  nobody  was  disposed  to  help  me 
to  anything  to  eat,  I  thought  I  would  help  myself 
to  something  to  drink.  "Is  this  Madeira?"  I 
asked  of  my  left  hand  neighbor,  pointing  to  the 
decanter. 

"  I  imagine  not,  Sir,"  he  replied  sharply  ;  "  I 
kind  o'reckon  its  sherry." 

"  Is  it  indeed,"  I  said  ;  "  then  I  will  try  a  glass  of 
it  in  remembrance  of  my  father,  for  I  have  often 
heard  him  say  that  sherry  was  his  favorite  wine." 
So  I  filled  my  glass,  and  drank  it  off  with  a  good 
relish,  for  it  was  smooth  and  finely  flavored. 

"  That's  right  cool,"  said  my  neighbor,  fixing 
his  keen  eyes  upon  me. 

"  Yes  it  is,"  I  replied  ;  "  I  guess  it  has  been  iced. 
I  believe  I  shall  try  another  glass."  And  so  1 
took  hold  of  the  decanter  again  to  help  myself, 
upon  which  the  sallow  faced  gentleman  started 
upon  his  feet,  and  squealed  out,  "  You  infernal 


40  HARRY   FRANCO, 

son  of  a  northern  abolitionist,  I  will  teach  you  to 
drink  a  gentleman's  wine ;"  and  at  the  same  time 
seizing  a  table  knife,  he  made  a  pass  at  me,  which 
I  fortunately  dodged,  and  seized  hold  of  the  de 
canter  of  wine,  and  aimed  a  blow  at  his  head, 
which  would  infallibly  have  cracked  his  skull,  had 
not  the  big  negro  interposed  his  head,  and  caught 
the  decanter  in  its  descent  upon  his  own  wool, 
thereby  saving  his  master's  head,  but  not  his  wine, 
for  the  decanter  was  shivered  into  a  thousand  pie 
ces,  and  its  contents  flew  over  me  and  my  antago 
nist.  My  next  impulse  was  to  lay  hold  of  a  dish 
of  cranberry  sauce,  with  which  I  might  have 
been  more  successful  than  with  the  decanter,  but 
before  I  had  time  to  reach  out  my  hand,  I  was 
surrounded  by  a  dozen,  or  more,  men,  who  caught 
hold  of  me,  and  dragged  me  out  of  the  room,  amid 
a  wild  uproar  of  voices,  which  sounded  in  my  ears 
like  the  yells  of  demons.  They  dragged  me 
through  the  hall  into  a  small  room  adjoining,  two 
having  hold  of  my  collar,  and  a  stout  fellow 
hold  of  each  arm.  Some  eight  or  ten  men  fol 
lowed  into  the  room,  and  then  one  of  them  stood 
with  his  back  against  the  door  to  keep  the  others 
from  crowding  in.  Somebody  on  the  outside 
knocked  and  kicked  very  hard  against  the  door, 
and  demanded  entrance  on  the  score  of  his  being 


VJ 

1 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  41 

one  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  press.  But  the  man 
who  was  guarding  the  door  refused  to  move,  and 
the  gentleman  of  the  press  on  the  outside  gave 
another  savage  kick,  and  swore  that  the  public 
should  be  informed  of  the  outrage  it  had  suffered, 
in  the  disrespect  shown  to  his  person. 

Among  the  gentlemen  who  were  admitted  into 
the  room,  was  an  elderly  man  with  gold  spectacles, 
and  a  high  bald  forehead ;  they  called  him 
" judge;"  his  heavy  black  eyebrows,  and  a  pro 
tuberant  under  lip,  gave  his  face  an  expression  of 
sternness,  and  I  trembled  as  he  bent  his  eyes  upon 
me.  He  took  a  piece  of  paper  and  a  pencil  out 
of  his  pocket,  and  asked  me  my  name,  and  where 
was  from  ;  but  I  was  so  terrified  I  could  make 
no  reply  to  him,  but  burst  into  tears. 

"  Don't  be  frightened,  sir,"  said  the  judge, 
quietly  ;  "  nobody  shall  harm  you,  unless  indeed 
you  deserve  it  very  richly,  which  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  is  not  the  case." 

After  a  few  sobs,  which  I  could  not  suppress,  I 
told  the  judge  my  name,  where  I  was  from,  and 
the  particulars  of  the  affray,  without  being  at  all 
aware  of  the  offence  I  had  committed. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !"  roared  the  judge,  as  I  con 
cluded  my  account ;  "  I  see  through  it  all,  I  think ; 
4* 


42  HARRY   FRANCO, 

you  did  not  attempt,  then,  to  entice  away  the  gen 
tleman's  slave  ?" 

"A  slave!"  I  exclaimed,  in  amazement,  "I 
never  saw  a  slave  in  my  life." 

"  Well,  well ;  but  how  is  this,  colonel  ?"  said 
the  judge,  addressing  one  of  the  gentlemen,  "  you 
said  you  could  swear  you  saw  the  young  man  put 
a  tract  into  the  nigger's  hand." 

"  Well,  I  wish  I  mought  never  see  ole  Virginny 
agin,  if  I  couldrnt  a  took  a  right  smart  oath  I  seen 
him  do  it,  any  how ;  but  praps  I  was  mistaken,  it 
mought  a  been  a  napkin.7* 

"  Very  likely  it  was,"  said  the  judge. 

"Hows'ever,"  said  the  colonel,   "I'll  take  my 
oath  I  seen  him,  if  you  wish ;  but  as  the  young  * 
gentleman  says  himself  he  did'nt  done  it,  I  reck 
on  I  might  as  well  not." 

"  Sol  reckon,"  said  the  judge.  "  Well,  gentle 
men,"  he  continued,  "  I  think  you  must  be  pretty 
well  satisfied  of  the  young  gentleman's  innocence." 

"  O,  perfectly,"  they  all  replied,  without  ap 
pearing  to  have  any  will  of  their  own  about  the 
matter. 

"I  am- satisfied  if  you  is,  judge,"  said  the  co 
lonel,  "but  as  you  and  I  were  at  college  together, 
I  should  like  just  to  swear  to  something  to  oblige 
you." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  43 

The  judge  thanked  him  for  his  kind  feelings, 
but  said  there  was  no  particular  occasion  just 
then. 

For  my  own  part,  my  amazement  and  terror 
increased  ever  moment,  and  I  was  expecting  to 
hear  sentence  of  death  pronounced  upon  me,  when 
the  judge  cleared  up  all  the  mystery  which  hung 
about  the  proceedings.  "  Let  me  advise  you,  Mr. 
Franco,"  said  the  judge  kindly,  "  the  next  time 
you  feel  an  inclination  for  a  glass  of  sherry,  to 
call  for  a  bottle  yourself,  and  not  to  drink  ano 
ther  gentleman's,  unless  he  should  offer  it  to 
you.  I  don't  know  what  the  custom  may  be  where 
you  were  raised,  but  such  things  won't  do  down 
south.  That  gentleman  whose  wine  you  made 
free  with  with,  was  no  less  a  person  than  the  Ho 
norable  Sylvanus  Spliteer,  the  celebrated  southern 
orator,  and  these  gentlemen  are  his  particular 
friends,  who,  hearing  something  said  about  abo 
litionists,  for  their  ears  are  very  quick  to  catch 
any  thing  that  is  said  on  that  subject,  and  seeing 
you  and  the  orator  in  an  antagonistic  position, 
they  very  naturally  concluded  that  you  were  try 
ing  to  entice  away  his  black  boy,  who  was  waiting 
upon  him  at  table." 

I  did  not  think  the  conclusion  was  a  very  natu- 


44  HARRY   FRANCO, 

ral  one,  by  any  means,  but  I  felt  no  inclination  to 
dispute  the  point. 

"  But  I  am  very  happy  to  find  that  all  the  dif 
ficulty  has  arisen  from  a  very  natural  mistake  of 
yours,  in  supposing  that  the  wine  upon  the  dinner 
table,  like  the  brandy  and  the  butter,  was  for  the 
benefit  of  the  public." 

Although  the  explanation  of  the  judge  had  re 
lieved  my  fears,  yet  I  felt  so  mortified  and  abashed, 
in  finding  that  I  had  been  guilty  of  a  gross  breach 
of  good  manners,  that  my  face  burned  with  shame, 
and  I  could  not  raise  my  eyes  from  the  floor.  But 
one  of  the  gentlemen  having  stepped  out  of  the  room, 
returned  again,  bringing  Mr.  Spliteer  himself  with 
him,  who  having  heard  all  the  particulars,  shook 
me  heartily  by  the  hand,  and  insisted  on  my  re 
turning  to  table,  and  drinking  a  bottle  of  wine 
with  him.  The  judge,  and  the  colonel,  and  the 
other  gentlemen,  said  they  would  join  us,  and  of 
course  I  could  not  refuse  so  kind  an  invitation  ;  so 
we  all  returned  to  the  dining  room,  where,  as  the 
orator  himself  expressed  it,  the  remainder  of  the 
afternoon  was  spent  with  "  a  perfect  looseness." 

I  must  confess  that,  after  this,  the  titles  of  judge 
and  colonel  lost  something  more  than  half  their 
awe  inspiring  influence  over  me  ;  for  such  songs, 
and  such  speeches,  as  came  from  the  mouths  of 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  45 

these  gentlemen,  I  never  listened  to  before  nor  since. 
Even  the  orator  himself  outdid  the  colonel.  The 
other  gentlemen,  one  of  whom  was  a  doctor,  and 
another  a  major,  told  several  stories,  and  related 
circumstances  which  they  swore  had  happened  to 
themselves,  although  I  had  read  of  the  same  things 
in  an  almanac  when  I  was  a  little  boy,  and  I  re 
membered  that  my  grandmother  told  me  they  had 
happened  when  she  was  a  girl.  I  have  no  distinct 
recollections  of  the  manner  in  which  the  dinner 
terminated  ;  but  I  remember  very  vividly,  that  I 
found  myself,  the  next  morning,  lying  on  my 
chamber  floor,  with  a  burning  thirst,  and  a  violent 
pain  in  my  head. 


46  HARRY   FRANCO, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Shows  with  what  ease  a  man  may  enter  into  a  commercial 
speculation,  when  he  has  the  means  and  the  inclination  so 
to  do. 

I  HAD  as  yet  seen  nothing  of  the  city ;  so  after 
breakfast,  not  being  able  to  find  my  good  friend  Mr. 
Lummucks,  I  ventured  to  take  a  stroll  through 
Broadway  alone,  to  see  the  sights,  and  put  myself 
in  the  way  of  fortune.  I  had  not  rambled  far, 
when  I  caught  sight  of  a  little  red  flag  hanging 
upon  a  pole  which  was  stuck  out  of  a  shop  door, 
and  hearing  a  man  talking  very  loud  inside,  I  step 
ped  in,  to  see  what  was  going  on. 

It  was  a  little  narrow  place,  hung  round  with 
lithographic  prints,  and  double  barrelled  rifles,  and 
duelling  pistols,  and  other  works  of  art,  both  in 
structive  and  destructive.  There  was  a  counter 
in  the  centre  of  the  shop,  and  at  one  end  of  it,  eleva 
ted  on  a  high  stool,  stood  a  little  bald  headed  man, 
with  protuberant  black  eyes  and  prominent  front 
teeth.  He  had  a  little  ivory  hammer  in  his  hand, 
which  he  flourished  about  with  great  earnestness, 
cyring  out  all  the  while,  "  a  hof,  a  hof,  a  hof,  a 
hof,"  till  at  last  he  struck  the  counter  fiercely 
with  it,  and  said,  "Mr.  Smit  takes  the  lot  at 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  47 

eighteen  and  a  hof."  There  were  two  or  three 
gentlemen  standing  about  the  counter,  but  I  could 
not  discover  that  they  took  the  slightest  interest  in 
what  was  going  on. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  the  man  with  the  ham 
mer,  "I  will  give  you  very  great  pleasure;  you 
shall  all  bless  your  lucky  stars,  which  has  superin 
duced  you  to  enter  this  store  at  this  present  time. 
I  shall  now,  gentlemen,  put  up  lot  number  twenty 
one,  and  it  must  be  sold  to  the  highest  bidder, 
pos-i-tive-ly  —  it  must  indeed,  upon  my  honor. 
Here,  gentlemen,  is  something  worthy  the  very 
highest  consideration  of  connoisseurs,  amateurs, 
and  epicures  ;  it  is  indeed.  You  see,  gentlemen, 
it  is  a  most  magnificent  rose  wood  casket,  all  inlaid 
with  the  mother  of  pearls  and  divers  other  waluable 
minerals,  very  rare  to  be  got  or  obtained.  But, 
gentlemen,  before  I  open  this  casket,  and  dazzle 
your  precious  eyes  with  the  contents  thereof,  let 
me  tell  you  its  history. 

"  This  casket,  gentlemen,  is  the  property  of  a 
wirtuous  young  orphan  lady,  which  lives  in  the  up 
per  part  of  the  city,  who  is  reduced  to  the  unfor 
tunate  extremity  of  disposing  of  a  part  of  her  per 
sonal  effects,  because  she  done  so  many  charitable 
acts  to  the  poor,  and  therefore  it  must  be  sold. 
Why  don't  you  bid!" 


48  HARRY   FRANCO, 

So  saying,  he  opened  the  casket,  and  emptied 
its  contents  on  to  the  counter  ;  they  consisted  of  a 
necklace,  a  pair  of  ear  rings,  a  silver  bodkin,  a 
needle  case,  a  musical  snuff-box,  and  a  cameo 
breast  pin.  They  all  looked  bright  and  new,  and 
for  aught  that  I  could  discover,  were  none  the 
worse  for  wear. 

"  Come,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  the  little  man, 
flourishing  his  hammer,  "  why  don't  you  bid  !  I 
shan't  take  offence  at  any  thing,  say  two  hundred  ; 
one  hundred  ;  any  thing  to  start  with  ;  say  fifty  dol 
lars  ;  the  casket  alone  is  worth  five  times  the  money. 
Any  gentleman  as  wants  to  make  an  operation,  has 
now  a  beautiful  opportunity  to  make  four  or  five 
hundred  dollars,  by  purchasing  this  splendid  article. 
Has'nt  he,  Mr.  Isaacs  ?" 

"  You  may  well  say  that,  Mr.  Shooda,"  said 
the  gentleman  addressed  ;  "  any  shentleman  is  a 
fool  which  does'nt  buy  that  bargain  at  any  price." 

The  demon  of  avarice  whispered  in  my  ear  that 
now  was  my  time  to  turn  a  penny,  and  I  resolved 
to  bid  for  the  casket,  and  so  lay  the  foundation  of 
my  fortune.  And  then  the  blood  rushed  to  my 
cheek  at  the  base  thought  of  taking  the  advantage 
of  a  poor  orphan  girl's  necessities  to  enrich  myself; 
and  then  I  resolved  I  would  do  no  such  thing. 
But  as  the  auctioneer  went  on  setting  forth  the 


A  TAt/R  OF  THE  PANIC.  49 

value  of  the  casket,  and  the  low  price  at  which 
he  would  sell  it,  I  reasoned  with  myself  thus  :  if  I 
do  not  buy  the  casket,  another  will ;  and  if  I  do 
buy  it,  and  give  more  for  it  than  another  would,  of 
course  I  shall  do  a  good  deed,  and  while  I  enrich 
myself,  I  shall  benefit  the  poor  orphan  girl.  And 
then  I  thought  it  might  possibly  belong  to  the  beau 
tiful  young  lady,  my  companion  in  the  coach,  for 
whom  I  felt  so  great  a  regard,  and  if  it  should  be 
hers,  with  what  pleasure  I  would  restore  it  to  her. 
This  last  thought  overcame  all  my  scruples,  and  I 
determined  to  buy  the  casket  at  all  hazards. 

I  am  ashamed  to  confess  that,  although  these 
thoughts  did  pass  through  my  mind,  still  it  was  the 
desire  of  gain  that  influenced  me.  So  easy  is  it, 
when  we  do  a  mean  action,  to  flatter  ourselves 
that  it  is  from  good  motives  we  do  it. 

"Do  you  think  he  would  take  a  bid  of  fifty 
dollars  ?"  I  asked  of  the  gentleman  whom  the 
auctioneer  addressed  as  Mr.  Isaacs. 

Mr.  Isaacs  had  a  nose  both  high  and  long,  and 
his  eyes  were  very  black,  but  large  and  heavy  ; 
his  hair  was  black  and  crispy,  and  he  had  a  stoop 
in  his  shoulders  ;  he  wore  a  blue  frock  coat,  with 
a  black  velvet  collar,  and  altogether  his  dress  had 
a  second  hand  appearance.  Upon  my  putting 

this  question  to  him,  he  drew  me  aside,  and  whis- 
VOL.  i.  5 


50  HARRY   FRANCO, 

pering  in  my  ear,  told  me  not  to  bid  as  high  as  fifty 
at  the  first  going  off,  although  he  didn't  believe  the 
auctioneer  would  sell  the  casket  for  less  than  two  or 
three  hundred  dollars ;  and  then,  in  a  very  solemn 
manner,  he  advised  me  not  to  let  the  opportunity 
slip  of  buying  the  casket.  And  he  told  me  upon 
his  honor  as  a  gentleman,  that  he  would  buy  it  of 
me  the  very  next  day  at  just  double  the  money 
which  I  might  give  for  it,  if  I  should  buy  it,  pro 
testing  that  he  would  bid  it  off  himself,  if  he  had 
not  left  his  pocket  book  at  home. 

So  good  an  opportunity  to  make  money,  I  was 
fearful  might  not  occur  again  very  soon,  and  I 
resolved  to  make  the  most  of  it.  And  according 
to  the  advice  of  Mr.  Isaacs,  I  bid  thirty  dollars  for 
the  casket. 

"  For  shame,  for  shame,"  exclaimed  the  auc 
tioneer,  "  to  bid  thirty  dollars  for  a  magnificent 
article  like  this." 

I  blushed  very  red,  and  bid  forty. 

"  Forty,  forty,  forty,  forty,  forty,  and  five,  did 
you  say ;  five,  five,  five,  five,  five." 

I  did  not  hear  any  body  bid  five,  but  as  the  auc 
tioneer  had  said  that  nods  and  winks  would 
be  taken  as  bids,  I  supposed  that  some  gentleman 
had  given  him  a  sly  wink. 

"  Forty-five,  forty-five,  forty-five,  forty-five,  for- 


A   TALE    OF    THE    PANIC.  51 

five,  forty-five,"  he  exclaimed  with  astonishing 
rapidity,  and  just  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  letting 
fall  his  hammer,  I  bid  fifty. 

"Fifty,  fifty,  fifty,  fifty,  fifty,"  he  exclaimed 
more  than  fifty  times,  my  heart  all  the  while  beat 
ing  time  to  the  flourishes  of  his  hammer,  'till  it 
descended  to  the  counter,  and  I  found  myself  the 
purchaser  of  the  valuable  casket,  and  its  contents, 
for  the  very  small  sum  of  fifty  dollars.  I  paid  for 
it  immediately,  and  to  ma"ke  sure  of  it,  wrapped  it 
up  in  my  pocket  handkerchief,  and  tucked  it  un 
der  my  arm. 

Mr.  Isaacs  said  I  had  made  a  great  purchase, 
and  tried  to  persuade  me  to  stop  and  bid  for  some 
thing  else  ;  but  I  was  too  much  elated,  and  in  too 
great  a  hurry  to  get  to  my  chamber,  and  glut  my 
eyes  with  my  treasure. 

As  I  left  the  store,  I  heard  a  loud  whistle,  and 
suddenly  turning  my  head,  I  perceived  Mr.  Isaacs 
with  his  cheeks  distended  like  a  bladder,  and  his 
broad  lips  screwed  up  like  the  mouth  of  a  tightly 
drawn  purse,  whistling  with  all  his  might;  but 
I  was  so  eager  to  get  to  my  chamber  that  I  did 
not  turn  back  to  inquire  the  cause  of  it. 


52  HARRY   FRANCO,. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  school  for  morals,  and  the  beginning  of  an  adventure. 

AT  the  tea  table  I  met  Mr.  Lummucks  ;  he  had 
heard  of  my  encounter  with  the  great  orator  from 
the  South  the  day  before,  and  he  laughed  heartily 
at  my  blunder,  and  said,  if  I  would  put  myself 
under  his  tuition,  he  wotild  soon  make  a  man  of 
me,  and  learn  me  what  life  was.  By  way  of  giv 
ing  me  an  introductory  lesson,  he  said,  I  must  go 
to  the  theatre  with  him  that  evening  ;  and  as  he 
offered  to  pay  for  my  ticket,  I  did  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  refuse. 

As  I  had  often  heard  the  theatre  spoken  of  as  a 
school  for  morals,  I  was  not  much  surprised  to 
meet  a  good  many  people  there  whose  morals 
seemed  to  stand  in  need  of  a  pretty  severe  school 
ing  ;  for  my  own  part,  I  do  not  think  my  own 
morals  were  much  the  better  for  any  thing  that  I 
saw  or  heard  while  there. 

Mr.  Lummucks  said  he  was  acquainted  with  all 
the  principal  actors  and  actresses,  and  he  promis 
ed  to  take  me  behind  the  scenes,  and  introduce  me 
to  some  of  them,  but  first  he  took  me  up  two  or 
three  flights  of  stairs  into  a  long  room  with  green 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  53 

walls  and  red  moreen  curtains,  with  a  bar  at  one 
end,  behind  which  were  half  a  dozen  yellow  wo 
men  serving  out  cakes  and  coffee,  and  all  manner 
of  liquors.  There  were  a  great  many  young  la 
dies  moving  about,  some  with  gentlemen,  and 
some  without,  but  all  very  gayly  dressed,  and  very 
free  in  their  manners  ;  indeed,  one  of  them  had 
the  boldness  to  ask  me  to  treat  her  to  an  orange, 
which  I  did,  and  then  she  asked  me  to  treat  her 
to  a  glass  of  cordial,  which  I  could  not  refuse  to 
do,  because  she  was  a  lady,  and  I  judged  from 
the  familiar  manner  in  which  Mr.  Lummucks 
spoke  to  her,  that  she  was  an  intimate  acquaint 
ance  of  his.  Another  young  lady  came  up  to  me, 
and  offered  me  her  card,  which  I  took,  and  pro 
mised  to  call  on  her.  Mr.  Lummucks  appeared  to  be 
perfectly  at  home  ;  he  called  one  Bess,  another 
Sue,  and  another  Liz.  If  this,  I  thought,  is  the 
first  lesson  in  life,  I  shall  not  be  astonished  at  any 
thing  which  I  may  meet  with  hereafter. 

I  heard  a  great  clapping  of  hands  and  stamp 
ing  of  feet,  and  as  I  began  to  grow  tired  of  the 
company  I  was  in,  I  made  an  excuse  that  I  wanted 
to  see  the  play ;  so  I  went  out  of  the  punch  room 
into  the  gallery  to  see  what  had  called  forth  the 
clapping  of  hands,  and  to  take  a  lesson  in  morals. 

On  the  stage,  which  was  a  long  distance  below 
5* 


54  HARRY  FRANCO, 

me,  were  a  man  and  a  woman  singing  with  all 
their  might,  with  their  hands  stretched  out  as  if 
imploring  mercy  from  the  audience.  He  was  tall 
and  thin,  with  sunken  cheeks,  which  were,  not 
withstanding,  very  red  ;  and  she  was  short  and 
fat  :  they  were  both  dressed  in  the  strangest  look 
ing  clothes  I  had  ever  seen,  but  apparently  very 
richly.  I  listened  attentively,  but  I  could  not  un 
derstand  a  word  of  the  song,  and  the  musicians 
kept  up  such  a  noise  I  was  hardly  able  to  distin 
guish  the  tune.  I  must  acknowledge  that  I  was 
greatly  disappointed  in  the  exhibition  ;  but  it 
would  be  wrong  in  me  to  condemn  what  I  could 
not  understand,  and,  as  some  do,  pronounce  every 
thing  bad  which  is  above  my  comprehension. 

Not  feeling  any  interest  for  the  people  on  the 
stage,  I  began  to  look  around  among  the  audi 
ence,  and  soon  discovered  something  more  inter 
esting  and  beautiful  than  I  had  anticipated.  There 
were  a  great  many  ladies  among  the  audience, 
who,  being  dressed  in  gay  clothes,  gave  a  bright 
and  beautiful  appearance  to  the  theatre  ;  but  the 
lights  were  so  glaring,  and  the  whole  scene  was  so 
strange  to  me,  it  was  some  time  before  I  could  look 
composedly,  and  view  in  detail  the  lovely  beings 
who  were  clustered  together  in  the  circle  below 
me.  When  my  eye  had  become  more  familiar 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  55 

with  the   scene,  and  my  perception   keener,  as  I 
glanced  from  group  to  group,   my  attention   was 
suddenly  arrested  by  a  beautiful  girl,  who   sat  in 
the  lower  tier  of  boxes,  dressed  in  white,  and  look 
ing  like  a  lily  in  a  bed  of  tulips.     Upon  looking 
at  her  more  attentively,  I  was  electrified  at  disco 
vering  in  her  my  gentle  companion  of  the  stage 
coach.     It  gave  a  momentary  shock  to  my  feel 
ings  to  find  one  whom  I  had,  in  imagination,  in 
vested  with  a  pure  and  holy  character,  breathing 
the  atmosphere  of  such  a  place  ;  but  descending  to 
the  next  tier  of  boxes,  I  took  a  seat  opposite  to  her, 
and  soon  became  so  completely  absorbed  in   the 
contemplation  of  her  beauties,  as  to  be  insensible 
to  every  thing  else.     She  was  very  beautiful,  and 
having  gazed  on  her  for  hours,  I  thought  her  im 
age  was  stamped  upon  my  heart,  and  that  it  would 
be  ever  present  to  the  eyes  of  my  mind  ;  but  when 
I  could  see  her  no  longer,  and  I  tried  to  recall  her 
to  my  mind,  it  was  in  vain  ;  I  could  only  remem 
ber  that  I  had  seen  a  being  of  light  and  loveliness, 
but  the  form  she  wore  had  left  no  distinct  impres 
sion  upon  my  memory. 

She  sat  between  an  elderly  gentleman,  and  a 
lady  apparently  older  than  herself,  to  whom  she 
occasionally  spoke  ;  and  I  thought  I  could  distin 
guish  the  gentle  tones  of  her  voice  above  all  the 


56 


HARRY   FRANCO, 


noise  of  the  orchestra  and  the  hubbub  of  the  pit. 
When  the  performances  were  ended,  I  hurried 
down  to  the  lobby,  that  I  might  catch  a  parting- 
glimpse  of  her  as  she  left  the  theatre.  I  saw  her 
come  out  leaning  on  the  arm  of  the  elderly  gen 
tleman  who  sat  by  her  side,  and  I  got  as  close  to 
her  as  I  dared,  hoping  to  catch  the  sound  of  her 
voice.  They  stood  on  the  steps  a  few  minutes, 
until  a  carriage  drove  up,  into  which  they  got  with 
the  other  lady  ;  the  footman  banged  too  the  door 
and  got  up  behind,  and  away  they  drove.  I  stood 
for  a  moment  almost  bewildered,  and  then  dart 
ed  off  in  pursuit  of  the  carriage  ;  I  ran  with  all  my 
might,  and  hard  work  I  had  to  keep  it  in  sight. 
It  was  a  weary  long  chase,  up  one  street  and  down 
another,  'till  at  length,  when  1  was  quite  exhaust 
ed,  and  scarcely  able  to  move  another  step,  the 
sweat  pouring  from  every  pore  in  my  body,  and 
my  wind  quite  gone,  it  stopped  in  front  of  a  brick 
house  opposite  to  a  large  square  filled  with  trees. 
The  party  got  out  of  the  carriage,  and  the  old 
gentleman  handed  the  ladies  up  the  steps  of  the 
house.  "  Good  night,  uncle,"  said  the  youngest 
lady,  in  a  voice  which  I  could  have  distinguished 
among  all  the  babel  tongues  of  the  world.  "  Good 
night,  Georgy,  good  night,"  said  the  old  gentle 
man.  The  door  closed  upon  the  ladies,  and  the 


A  TALE  OP  THE  PANIC.  57 

old  gentleman  stepped  into  the  carriage  again, 
and  drove  off. 

I  sat  down  opposite  to  the  house,  under  the 
shade  of  the  trees,  to  recover  my  breath  ;  and 
having  rested  myself,  I  very  reluctantly  quitted 
the  spot ;  but  not  until  I  had  noted  down  the  num 
ber  of  the  house,  and  read  the  name  on  the  silver 
door  plate  ;  it  was  simply,  "  Mrs.  Smith." 

It  was  past  midnight  when  I  got  back  to  the 
hotel,  but  I  found  Mr.  Lummucks  sitting  in  the 
bar-room,  drinking  and  smoking  with  two  or  three 
bilious  looking  gentlemen,  whom  he  introduced 
to  me  as  merchants  from  Mississippi.  Mr.  Lum 
mucks  tried  to  make  me  sit  down  and  smoke  and 
drink  with  them,  but  I  resolutely  refused,  notwith 
standing  the  Mississippi  merchants  joined  in  the 
request,  promising  me  that  they  would  tell  me  a 
mighty  big  heap  of  good  stories,  and  that  the  way 
they  would  amuse  me  would  be  sinful  to  a  chris- 
tian.  But  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  be  alone  in  rny 
chamber,  where  I  could  shut  my  eyes  upon  the 
world,  and  think  only  of  her  who  had  enchanted 
me. 

When  I  got  to  my  chamber,  I  locked  the  door, 
and  took  out  the  pocket  handkerchief,  of  which  I 
had  by  a  lucky  accident  become  the  possessor,  and 
having  pressed  it  to  my  heart,  spread  it  out  for 


58  HARRY   FRANCO, 

examination,  with  the  hope  of  discovering  about 
it  some  clue  to  the  name  of  its  owner.  It  was  a 
beautiful  handkerchief;  the  material  was  of  a 
delicate  texture,  surpassing  any  thing  of  the  kind 
I  had  ever  seen  before  ;  it  was  edged  with  broad 
lace,  and  the  corners  were  curiously  embroidered 
with  fruits  and  flowers,  the  like  of  which  I  had 
never  seen  in  nature  ;  on  one  of  the  corners  was 
a  scroll,  surrounded  by  a  wreath  of  roses,  and  on 
it  was  printed,  in  delicate  little  letters,  "  Georgiana 
De  Lancy."  I  pressed  the  name  to  my  lips,  and 
kissed  it  a  thousand  times,  and  did  many  other 
foolish  things,  'till  at  last  growing  weary,  I  lay 
down  upon  my  bed  with  the  handkerchief  in  my 
hand,  and  dreamed  that  the  lovely  Georgiana  was 
hovering  over  me,  poised  in  the  air  by  a  pair  of 
purple  wings,  the  gentle  motion  of  which  fanned 
the  cool  air  across  my  brow. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  59 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Getting  into  a  Newspaper. 

IN  the  course  of  my  limited  reading,  I  had  met 
with  accounts  of  men  who  had  become  famous  by 
accident,  and  gained  an  immortality  without  hav 
ing  labored  for  it ;  but,  I  had  never,  in  my  wildest 
dreams,  imagined  that  such  a  lot  would  be  mine. 
I  did,  indeed,  indulge  in  the  pleasing  hope  of 
achieving  fame  and  fortune,  but  I  did  not  expect 
to  have  notoriety  thrust  upon  me  at  the  very  com 
mencement  of  rny  adventures. 

The  morning  after  my  visit  to  the  Theatre,  I 
was  sitting  in  the  bar  room  of  the  hotel,  reading 
the  morning  papers,  when  I  was  startled  at  seeing 
my  own  name  in  print.  The  sensations  which  I 
experienced  on  the  occasion,  can  be  imagined  by 
those  who  have  found  themselves  unexpectedly  in 
a  newspaper.  I  was  seized  with  such  a  fit  of 
trembling,  that  it  was  some  time  before  I  could 
gather  my  senses  sufficiently  together  to  enable 
me  to  read  the  following  article,  which  fully  ac 
counted  for  the  mark  of  distinction  which  had 
been  bestowed  upon  me. 

"  Serious  Affair. — We  have  been  at  great  pains 


60  HARRY  FRANCO, 

to  gather  the  particulars  of  the  late  disgraceful 
outrage  at  the  City  Hotel,  knowing  the  anxiety 
of  the  public  miud  in  relation  to  this  event,  and 
feeling  the  full  weight  of  the  responsibility  which 
rests  upon  our  shoulders,  as  public  journalists,  to 
furnish  our  subscribers, — who,  we  are  proud  to  say, 
are  daily  increasing,  having  added  more  than  two 
thousand  to  our  lists  within  the  last  week,  which 
we  happen  to  know,  is  more  than  the  entire  sub 
scription  of  any  of  our  cotemporaries, — with  the 
latest  and  most  correct  in  formation. 

"  Now  we  distinctly  charge,  that  our  contempo 
rary,  with  whose  vile  name  we  will  not  soil  our 
columns,  has  presented  his  readers  (?)  with  a  gar 
bled  and  incorrect  statement  of  the  transaction 
alluded  to,  notwithstanding  he  knew  we  were  in 
possession  of  the  entire  particulars  of  the  affair, 
which  we  had  obtained  at  a  great  expense,  and 
with  vast  trouble.  However,  we  feel  ourselves 
touched  in  a  very  tender  point,  and  we  shall  con 
descend  to  hold  the  wretch  personally  accountable  ; 
and  were  it  not  beneath  the  character  of  a  gentle 
man  to  bandy  terms  of  abuse  with  a  blackguard, 
we  should  call  him  an  ingrained  villain,  a  brute 
dyed  in  the  wool,  a  dirty  contemptible  creature 
who  could  not  speak  the  truth,  though  it  were  for 
his  interest  to  do  so,  and  who  never  does  stumble 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  61 

upon  it,  unless  he  surreptitiously  filches  it  from  our 
columns  ;  but  we  will  not  make  use  of  the  homely 
phrases  of  our  vernacular ;  we  forbear  ;  we  have 
no  wish  to  take  the  bread  out  of  innocent  lips* 
We  understand  our  contemporary  has  an  interest 
ing  family  dependent  upon  him  ;  but  how  he  came 
by  any  thing  interesting,  is  to  us  a  matter  of  astonish 
ment,  and,  indeed,  we  doubt  the  fact.  We  leave 
the  creature  to  work  his  own  ruin,  and  hasten  to 
lay  the  particulars  of  this  gross  outrage  before 
our  numerous  readers,  premising,  merely,  that  a 
paper  is  left  at  our  office  for  signatures,  requesting 
the  Mayor  to  call  a  meeting  of  our  fellow  citizens 
to  express  their  feelings  on  the  subject. 

"  One  of  those  pestiferous  vermin,  a  travelling 
abolitionist,  by  the  name  of  Franco,  had  the  un 
paralleled  audacity  to  enter  the  City  Hotel 
yesterday,  and  endeavor,  by  his  damnable  arts,  to 
entice  away  the  faithful  slave  of  the  Honorable 
Sylvanus  Spliteer,  the  chivalric  orator  of  the 
South,  who  being  at  his  dinner,  and  having  just 
finished  a  plate  of  oxtail  soup,  a  delicacy  than 
which  none  know  better  how  to  crncoct  than  the 
worthy  hosts  of  the  City,  and  having  taken  a  de 
canter  of  sherry  in  his  hand  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  wine  with  a  distinguished  Senator,  and 

perceiving  an  attempt  made  by  the  abolitionist  to 
VOL.  i.  6 


62  HARRY   FRANCO, 

force  an  incendiary  pamphlet  into  the  hands  of  his 
honest  negro,  with  that  promptness  peculiar  to 
southern  climes,  and  with  that  indignant  energy 
with  which  the  chivalry  of  the  South  defend  their 
rights,  jumped  from  his  seat,  and,  with  unerring 
aim,  hurled  the  decanter  at  the  head  of  the  fanatic. 
But  unfortunately  the  decanter  was  shivered  to 
pieces  instead  of  the  head,  and  the  shrivelled  crea 
ture  got  his  hide  well  soaked  with  good  wine,  a 
piece  of  good  luck  which,  we  will  venture  to  assert, 
never  befel  one  of  the  fraternity  before.  We  re 
gret  to  add,  that  Franco  was  allowed  to  escape 
without  farther  chastisement. 

"  Now  we  sincerely  deprecate  any  attempt  at 
violence  or  an  infringement  of  the  peculiar  privi 
leges  of  the  law,  but  there  are  cases,  which  of  ne 
cessity  must  occur,  which  call  upon  the  high-souled 
and  the  chivalrous  to  take  the  law  into  their  own 
hands,  and  inflict  summary  punishment.  This 
maybe  one  of  those  cases  ;  we  do  not  say  it  is,  and 
therefore  if  any  violence  should  be  committed,  let 
no  one  lay  the  blame  at  our  door.  We  have  not 
recommended  a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers,  neither 
have  we  made  any  allusions  to  the  salutary  effects 
of  a  ride  upon  a  rail. 

"  Franco's  first  name,  we  gather  from  the  books 
of  the  Hotel,  is  Harry  ;  he  is  a  youngish  person, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  63 

apparently  not  rmore  than  twenty-one,  of  a  fair 
complexion,  light  blue  eyes,  and  chestnut  hair.  His 
clothes  are  healthy  in  their  appearance,  that  is, 
they  appear  never  to  have  suffered  from  a  fit  of 
any  kind." 

Having1  always  believed  implicitly  every  thing 
which  I  saw  in  print,  I  could  hardly  persuade  my 
self  that  I  had  not  been  guilty  of  the  outrage  of 
which  I  saw  myself  accused.  I  felt  all  the  shame, 
at  least,  of  a  real  culprit,  and  hung  down  my  head 
and  pulled  my  hat  over  my  eyes  for  fear  of  meeting 
the  scornful  glances  of  the  men  who  were  moving 
about  me.  I  was  terrified  beyond  measure  at  the 
allusion  to  the  coat  of  tar  and  feathers,  and  a  ride 
upon  a  rail.  The  prophecy  of  my  haughty  cou 
sin  flashed  across  my  mind,  and  now,  I  thought, 
the  time  of  its  fulfilment  had  come.  The  unfeel 
ing  allusion  to  my  clothes  filled  me  with  indigna-- 
tion  ;  for  my  mother  had  exhausted  her  skill,  and 
her  strength  too,  in  making  them,  and  I  thought  they 
fitted  me  to  a  hair.  I  sat  in  a  corner  of  the  bar-room, 
with  apprehension,  trembling  and  expecting  every 
moment  that  violent  men  would  lay  their  hands 
upon  me,  when  I  heard  the  voice  of  Mr.  Spliteer 
himself  in  the  bar-room.  1  rose  up,  and  with  tears 
in  my  eyes,  showed  him  the  paper,  and  begged  him 
to  screen  me  from  the  threatened  violence.  He 


64  HARRY   FRANCO, 

read  the  article,  and  laughed  heartily  at  it,  which 
I  thought  showed  a  great  want  of  feeling  in  him  ; 
but  he  could  well  afford  to  do  so,  for  he  got  a 
good  deal  of  praise  at  my  expense. 

"Don'tbe  alarmed,  young  man, "he  said, "abuse 
and  misrepresentation  are  the  unavoidable  penal 
ties  of  newspaper  notoriety.  I  have  had  a  heap  of 
it  in  my  day,  I  can  assure  you,  and  I  care  no 
thing  for  it  now  ;  but  I  must  confess  it  did  grind  me 
at  first  no  ways  slow.  As  for  tar  and  feathers,  and 
a  ride  upon  a  rail,  dont  care  a  fig  about  them  ; 
there's  not  a  bit  of  danger ;  nobody  cares  any 
thing  about  a  newspaper,  for  although  there  is 
nothing  which  men  read  more  eagerly,  there  is 
nothing  which  they  heed  so  little,  not  even  their 
Bibles.  However,  to  make  all  sure,  I  will  take  it 
upon  myself  to  see  the  Editor,  who  is  a  personal, 
as  well  as  a  political  friend  of  mine,  and  to-mor 
row  you  shall  see  that  he  will  contradict  every 
word  he  has  said  to-day  in  relation  to  you.  And 
now,  do  me  the  favor  to  drink  a  julep  with  me, 
and  you  will  feel  better,  I  dare  say." 

I  thanked  the  honorable  Mr.  Spliteer  for  his 
kindness,  for  I  did  not  know  how  to  refuse, 
and  I  had,  moreover,  a  curiosity  to  know 
what  a  julep  was.  He  gave  the  necessary  orders 
to  the  bar-keeper ;  and  after  a  great  display  of 


A  TALE  OP  THE  PANIC.  65 

nutmeg  graters  and  muddling  sticks,  and  of  sous 
ing  and  flourishing  of  tumblers  by  the  latter  gen 
tleman,  the  juleps  were  mixed  ;  and  the  honorable 
Mr.  Spliteer  himself  reached  me  one  of  them,  for 
it  would  have  been  quite  beneath  the  dignity  of 
the  bar-keeper  to  have  stooped  so  far  below  his 
proper  level  as  to  have  acted  in  the  capacity  of  a 
waiter.  What  the  ingredients  were  of  which  the 
juleps  were  composed  I  could  form  no  idea ;  there 
was  a  bunch  of  green  mint  in  the  tumbler,  topped 
off  with  a  cap  of  snow,  and  a  slender  glass  tube 
was  stuck  in  the  middle.  As  I  had  never  seen  a  julep 
before,  I  watched  the  motions  of  the  orator  before 
I  touched  the  glass ;  he  drew  his  tumbler  up  to  him 
and  applied  his  mouth  to  the  tube,  and  I  did  the 
same. 

"  Are  you  fond  of  juleps  ?"  he  asked,  taking 
a  long  breath. 

"Very,"  I  replied,  for  I  found  it  very  palatable. 

"So  am  I,"  said  Mr.  Spliteer,  "I  like  them 
because  they  are  so  wholesome." 

"  Are  juleps  healthy,  then  ?"  I  inquired. 

"  Very,"  he  said,  drawing  another  long  breath. 
"  My  father  drank  so  many  juleps,  that  when  he 
died  the  mint  sprouted  up  all  over  his  grave,  and 
one  of  these  days  you  will  see  it  growing  on 


6* 


66  HARRY  FRANCO, 

"I  hope  not,"  I  replied. 

"  Do  you,  indeed,"  said  the  chivalrous  ora 
tor,  "why  so?" 

"  Because,"  I  answered,  "  Ihope  you  will  never 
die." 

"  Good,  good,"  he  exclaimed,  apparently  highly 
delighted,  "  right  good,  considering  you  tried 
only  yesterday  to  break  my  head  with  a  decanter." 

"  You  must  expect  when  you  take  wine,  that  it 
will  get  into  your  head,"  I  replied. 

"  So  I  do,"  he  said,  "  but  not  through  my 
skull."  And  then  he  laughed  very  heartily,  and 
I  laughed  too,  and  said  a  thousand  other  foolish 
things.  Having  sucked  the  last  drop  out  of  our 
tumblers,  Mr.  Spliteer  ordered  two  more  juleps, 
and  told  the  bar-keeper  to  make  them  stiff. 

I  have  not  a  very  clear  recollection  of  what  oc 
curred  after  drinking  the  second  julep,  neither  do 
I  remember  exactly  how  many  I  did  drink  ;  but  I 
know  I  felt  very  valiant  and  very  witty,  and  that 
I  threw  a  tumbler  at  the  head  of  the  bar-keeper, 
and  told  the  honorable  Mr.  Spliteer  that  he  look 
ed  like  a  bilious  baboon.  And,  I  was  afterwards 
told,  that  I  soon  grew  stupid  and  sleepy,  and  was 
taken  up  into  my  chamber,  and  put  to  bed  by  some 
of  the  waiters. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  67 

CHAPTER  X. 

Recovering  from  a  Julep. 

HAD  I  been  philosopher  enough  to  have  doubt 
ed  the  truth  of  a  spiritual  existence  independent  of 
the  body,  the  effects  of  the  juleps  would  have 
cured  me  of  skepticism  forever.  It  is  a  curious 
fact,  that  when  the  senses  are  benumbed  with  the 
fumes  of  strong  drink,  and  our  limbs  can  no  lon 
ger  perform  their  offices,  and  we  fall  down  drunk, 
stupid,  insensible  —  our  bodies  deprived  of  all  sense, 
sympathy  or  feeling ;  when  the  noble  mansion, 
which  was  created  for  the  in-dwelling  of  our  im 
mortal  spirit,  has  been  prostrated  by  our  own  fol 
lies,  and  become  a  mere  heap  of  breathing  mat 
ter,  and  all  of  our  faculties  are  benumbed  by  the 
fumes  of  strong  drink,  and  all  of  our  sympathies, 
and  feelings,  bodily  and  mental,  are  paralyzed 
and  drunken,  then  our  souls,  as  if  exulting  in  the 
release,  which  our  deadened  bodies  give  them,  or 
as  if  ashamed  of  the  disgraced  habitations  to 
which  their  destiny  has  assigned  them,  spread  out 
their  wings,  and  soar  away  to  scenes  where  the 
body  is  incapable  of  accompanying  them.  At 
least  such  was  the  case  with  me,  for  although  I 


68  HARRY  FRANCO,   " 

lay  on  ray  bed  stupid  and  insensible  as  a  log, 
never  before,  was  my  mind  so  actively  employed 
as  then,  and  never  did  my  fancy  play  such  wild 
and  fantastic  tricks,  or  bear  me  so  high  on  her 
wings,  in  my  sober  moments. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  I  roused  up, 
and  found  myself  upon  my  bed  with  my  clothes  all 
on.  It  was  a  long  while  before  I  could  convince 
myself  that  I  was  not  somebody  beside  myself, 
and  I  should  have  rubbed  my  eyes  and  doubted 
for  a  long  time,  had  I  not  been  impelled  by  a  burn 
ing  thirst  to  go  in  search  of  water ;  luckily  there 
was  a  goblet  full  in  my  chamber,  which  I  soon 
emptied,  and  by  degrees  became  convinced  that 
I  was  indeed  nobody  but  myself;  a  very  uncom 
fortable  conclusion  to  arrive  at,  for  I  should  just 
then  have  been  glad  to  have  been  convinced  that 
I  was  anybody  in  the  world  besides  myself,  for  I 
felt  very  wretched.  Although  I  soon  established 
my  own  identity,  I  could  not  easily  separate  and 
distinguish  the  transactions  of  the  past  two  days 
from  the  transactions  of  my  drunken  visions. 

My  father  was  very  particular,  when  I  left  home, 
to  caution  me  against  eating  an  egg  out  of  a  wine 
glass,  but  he  never  said  a  word  about  abstaining 
from  juleps.  It  was  wrong  in  me  to  blame  him 
for  my  own  misdeeds,  but  I  could  not  help  think- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  69 

ing,  that,  if  he  had  cautioned  me  against  drinking, 
I  might  have  been  spared  the  bitter  feelings  which 
I  then  experienced.  The  prophetic  words  of  my 
cousin  were  constantly  ringing  in  my  ears,  and 
the  reflection  that  I  might,  by  my  own  folly,  have 
aided  to  bring  on  their  fulfilment,  filled  me  with 
grief  and  shame.  I  had  not  yet  done  any  thing 
towards  bettering  my  condition,  and  I  made  fresh 
resolves  not  to  let  another  day  pass  without  ma 
king  a  vigorous  effort  to  obtain  employment.  But 
the  saddening  thought  came  over  me,  that  I  was 
without  friends,  and  I  knew  not  to  whom  I  could 
apply  for  help  or  advice,  and  I  had  not  even  fixed 
in  my  own  mind  what  kind  of  employmentl  should 
seek.  But  I  had  met  with  nothing  but  kindness 
thus  far,  and  I  felt  assured  that  I  should  still  meet 
with  kindness  and  polite  treatment  ;  for  if  men 
would,  when  unsolicited,  show  me  kindness  and 
favor,  surely  when  I  did  solicit  them  they  would 
grant  it  more  readily.  Thus  I  reasoned  with  my 
self,  and  very  sound  reasoning  I  thought  it. 

Of  all  the  men  whom  I  had  seen,  none  had 
treated  me  half  so  politely  as  Mr.  Lummucks. 
I  never  met  him,  but  he  would  make  me  drink  with 
him ;  he  slapped  me  across  the  shoulder  with  the 
familiarity  of  a  brother  ;  he  would  make  me  go  to 
the  Theatre  with  him,  and  he  would  pay  for  my 


70  HARRY   FRANCO,     . 

ticket ;  if  I  sat  near  him  at  table,  he  would  send 
me  his  wine,  and  after  dinner  he  would  offer  me  a 
cigar,  although  I  always  refused  it;  he  had  given 
me  his  card  on  board  the  ( steamboat,  and  he  had 
since  pressed  me  to  call  at  his  store  and  see  him. 
What  but  the  kindliest  feelings,  and  the  most  gene 
rous  nature^could  cause  a  man  to  show  such  civil 
ities  to  a  stranger.  Fortune,  I  thought,  had 
evidently  thrown  me  in  his  way,  and  I  determined 
to  second  her  endeavors  to  help  me  along,  by 
applying  to  him  for  assistance  in  procuring  a 
situation  ;  and,  I  had  riot  a  doubt,  but  that  a  gen 
tleman  of  his  benevolent  feelings,  would  be  very 
glad  of  an  opportunity  of  doing  so. 

With  these  soothing  and  comfortable  reflections, 
I  lay  down  again,  to  sleep  off  all  effects  of  my 
dissipation,  that  I  might  get  up  in  the  morning 
refreshed  and  invigorated,  and  better  prepared  to 
prosecute  my  schemes  for  defeating  the  malicious 
prophecy  of  my  cousin.  And  so  I  fell  asleep,  and 
dreamed  of  my  mother  and  sister,  and  of  the 
beautiful  Georgiana.  For  all  the  cares  and 
anxieties  and  disappointments  of  this  wicked 
world,  cannot  deprive  us  of  the  privilege  of  visiting, 
in  our  dreams,  the  gentle  beings  whom  we  love. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  71 


CHAPTER  XL 

Tells  of  my  reception  by  Mr.  Lummucks,  and  of  the  manner 
in  which  that  polite  gentleman  answered  my  solicitations. 

HAVING  dressed  myself  in  my  very  best  clothes, 
which,  to  tell  the  truth,  were  my  very  worst  also, 
I  set  out,  soon  after  breakfast,  in  search  of  the 
store  of  Messrs.  J.  Smith  Davis  &  Co.,  whose 
names  were  on  the  card  which  Mr.  Lummucks  had 
given  me. 

It  was  a  bright  and  pleasant  morning;  the 
streets  were  full  of  life  and  animation,  and  every 
thing  looked  promising  and  joyous  to  me.  Men 
were  hurrying  past  me  in  every  direction,  with 
looks  full  of  business  and  importance,  and  I 
thought,  where  all  seemed  to  be  so  well  employed, 
and  in  such  haste,  there  could  be  no  difficulty  in 
finding  something  to  do.  But,  as  I  was  not  stinted 
for  time,  I  did  not  hurry  myself,  and  walked 
leisurely  along  beneath  the  awnings,  stopping 
occasionally  to  gaze  at  the  heaps  of  goods  which 
were  displayed  in  the  stores,  or  to  read  some  curi 
ous  sign  which  attracted  my  attention.  After  a 
while  I  succeeded  in  finding  Hanover  Square, 
which  I  was  astonished  to  timl  was  triangular  in 
shape,  and  soon  discovered  the  large  gilt  sign  of 


HARRY   FRANCO, 

Messrs.  J.  Smith  Davis  &  Co.  Luckily,  Mr. 
Lummucks  was  standing  in  the  door  with  his  hat 
off,  and  his  hair  brushed  down  smooth  and  glossy. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  me,  he  caught  me  by  the  hand, 
and  dragged  me  into  the  store. 

"  How  are  you  this  morning,  Colonel  ?"  he 
said. 

"  Very  well,  I  thank  you,"  I  replied,  speaking 
as  respectfully  as  I  knew  how ;  "  are  you  well?" 

"  Fine  as  silk,"  said  Mr.  Lummucks. 

I  was  glad  to  hear  him  say  so,  and  congratu 
lated  myself  upon  finding  him  in  such  a  pleasant 
humor. 

The  store  of  Messrs.  J.  Smith  Davis  &  Co. 
was  not  very  large,  but  it  was  crowded  with  goods 
to  the  very  ceiling,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  floor 
were  long  piles  of  calicoes,  about  which  were 
several  young  gentlemen,  as  busily  employed  as 
bees  in  a  hive. 

A  very  little  man  approached  us  from  the  fur 
ther  end  of  the  store,  jerking  his  little  arms  and 
legs  with  the  precision  and  ease  of  an  automaton. 
His  dress  was  new,  and  bright,  and  neat.  Mr. 
Lummucks  introduced  me  to  him.  He  was  no 
other  than  Mr.  Smith  Davis  himself,  the  principal 
of  the  firm.  I  was  almost  struck  dumb  to  see  so 
much  importance  confined  within  so  small  a  com- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  73 

pass.     He  shook  me  cordially  by  the  hand,  and 
asked  Mr.  Lummucks  if  he  knew  me. 

"  Know  him  like  a  book,"  replied  Mr.  Lum* 
mucks. 

Mr.  Smith  Davis  shook  me  by  the  hand  again, 
and  said  he  was  very  happy  to  see  me  ;  he  asked 
me  how  the  times  were,  and  offered  me  a  cigar, 
which  I  took  for  fear  of  giving  offence,  but  the 
first  opportunity  I  got  I  threw  it  away. 

"  Buy  for  cash,  or  time  ?"  he  asked. 

I  was  a  little  startled  at  the  abruptness  of  the 
question,  but  I  replied,  "  for  cash." 

"  Would  you  like  to  look  at  some  prints,  Ma 
jor  ?"  he  asked. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,"  I  replied,  "  I  am 
very  fond  of  seeing  prints." 

With  that,  Mr.  Smith  Davis  commenced  turn 
ing  over  one  piece  of  calico  after  another,  with 
amazing  rapidity. 

"  There,  Major, — very  desirable  article — splen 
did  style — only  two-and-six  ;  we  done  a  first  rate 
business  in  that  article  last  season  ;  cheapest  goods 
in  the  street." 

Before  I  could  make  any  reply,  or  even  guess 
at  the  meaning  of  Mr.  D avis's  remarks,  he  was 
called  away,  and  Mr.  Lummucks  stepped  up  and 

supplied  his  place. 

VOL.  i.  7 


74  HARRY   FRANCO, 

"  You  had  better  buy  'em,  Colonel,"  said  Mr. 
Lummucks,  "  they  will  sell  like  hot  cakes.  But 
did  you  say  you  bought  for  cash." 

"Of  course,"  I  said,  "  if  I  buy  at  all." 

He  took  a  memorandum  book  out  of  his  pocket, 
and  looked  in  it  for  a  moment. 

"Let  me  see,"  he  said,  "Franco,  Franco, 
Franco,  what  did  you  say  your  firm  was,  some 
thing  and  Franco,  or  Franco  and  somebody  ?" 

"  I  have  no  firm,"  I  replied. 

"O,  you  haven't,  haven't  you  ?  all  alone,  hey? 
but  I  don't  see  that  I  have  got  your  first  name  down 
in  my  tickler." 

"  My  first  name  is  Harry,"  I  said. 

"  Right,  yes,  I  remember,"  said  Mr.  Lummucks, 
making  a  memorandum  ;  "  and  your  references, 
Colonel,  who  did  you  say  were  your  references  ?" 

"I  have  no  references,"  I  replied,  "indeed  I 
know  of  no  one  to  whom  I  could  refer,  unless  to 
my  father." 

"  What,  the  old  boy  in  the  country?" 

61  My  father  is  in  the  country,"  I  answered  seri 
ously,  not  very  well  pleased  to  hear  my  parent 
called  the  old  boy. 

"  Then  you  have  no  city  references,  hey  ?" 

"  None  at  all,  sir ;  I  have  no  friends  here  except 
yourself." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  75 

"Me!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Lummucks,  apparently 
in  great  amazement.  "  Oh,  ah !  But  how  much  of 
a  bill  do  you  mean  to  make  with  us,  Colonel  ?" 

"  Perhaps  I  may  buy  a  vest  pattern,"  I  replied, 
"  if  you  have  got  some  genteel  patterns." 

"  A  vest  pattern,"  cried  Mr.  Lummucks,  "  what, 
hav'nt  you  come  down  for  the  purpose  of  buying 
goods  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  I  replied,  "  I  came  to  New  York  to 
seek  for  employment,  and  as  you  had  shown  me 
so  many  kind  attentions,  I  thought  you  would  be 
glad  of  an  opportunity  to  assist  me  in  finding  a 
situation." 

Mr.  Lummucks'  countenance  underwent  a  very 
singular  change  when  I  announced  my  reasons  for 
calling  on  him. 

"  Do  you  see  any  thing  that  looks  green  in 
there  ?"  he  said,  pulling  down  his  eyelid  with  his 
forefinger. 

"  No,  sir,  I  do  not,"  I  replied,  looking  very  ear 
nestly  into  his  eye. 

"  Nor  in  there,  either  ?"  he  said,  pulling  open 
his  other  eye. 

"  Nothing  at  all,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  I  guess  not,"  said  Mr.  Lummucks  ;  and  with 
out  making  me  any  other  answer,  he  turned  on  his 
heel  and  left  me. 


78  HARRY   FRANCO, 

CHAPTER  XII. 

A  change  of  quarters,  and  a  new  friend. 

I  FOUND  that  the  high  rate  which  they  charged 
me  for  board  at  the  hotel,  would  soon  exhaust  my 
slender  means,  so  I  applied  at  a  genteel  boarding 
house  in  Pearl  street,  kept  by  a  Mrs.  Griggs,  and 
agreed  with  her  for  a  bed  in  a  room  with  only  five 
other  young  gentlemen  ;  the  price  which  she  asked 
was  something  less  than  half  what  they  charged  at 
the  hotel.  I  was  very  glad  to  make  the  exchange, 
for  I  was  not  only  continually  annoyed  by  the  sight 
of  Mr.  Lumrnucks,  but  by  the  frequent  mention  of 
my  ludicrous  encounter  with  the  Southern  orator. 

The  first  time  I  dined  at  Mrs.  Griggs's,  I  was 
reminded  of  the  advice  given  me  by  my  fellow 
traveller,  about  the  salt  cellar,  for  on  casting  my 
eyes  upon  that  piece  of  table  furniture,  I  perceived 
that  it  did  not  indicate  a  very  sumptuous  dinner  t 
it  was  a  little  gilt  edged  glass  dish,  with  a  piece 
broken  out  of  each  corner,  and  its  contents  were 
coarse  and  damp  ;  consequently  I  was  prepared  to 
find  the  soup  cold,  the  mutton  overdone,  the  vine 
gar  sweet,  and  the  salad  warm.  But,  thanks  to  the 
poverty  of  my  parents,  I  had  learned  to  eat  my 


0  A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  79 

dinner  without  finding  fault  with  its  quality,  always 
satisfied  if  it  was  not  deficient  in  quantity ;  and  al 
though  I  flattered  myself  I  could  distinguish  a  good 
meal  from  a  poor  one,  I  could  be  content  with 
either. 

Mrs.  Griggs's  boarders  were  all  young  gentle 
men,  fashionably  dressed,  apparently  full  of  funr 
and  with  most  excellent  appetites.  Their  greatest 
care  seemed  to  be  who  should  eat  the  greatest 
quantity  in  the  shortest  space  of  time.  I  must  con 
fess  I  could  not  but  regard  them  with  feelings  of 
envy,  for  they  were  mostly  clerks  in  counting 
houses  and  stores,  and  I  knew  it  was  employment 
which  gave  them  such  light  hearts  and  happy  faces. 
They  were  somewhat  rude  in  their  behavior,  butr 
as  it  was  the  rudeness  of  buoyant  spirits,  and  not 
of  ill  nature,  there  was  nothing  offensive  about  it- 
A  very  tall  young  gentleman,  with  a  ring  on  his 
forefinger,  and  a  gold  chain  round  his  neck,  filled 
the  office  of  carver,  and  his  perquisites  of  office 
were,  as  a  matter  of  course,  sundry  little  pieces  of 
the  outside,  which  he  contrived  very  ingeniously 
not  to  touch  when  he  was  helping  round. 

"  Mister  Barilla,  will  you,  if  you  please,  sir," 
said  one  of  the  young  gentlemen  to  the  carver,  "  be 
so  kind  as  to  send  me,  per  bearer,  a  small  invoice 
of  that  mutton?" 


80  HARRY   FRANCO,  . 

"  Sorry  to  be  under  the  disagreeable  necessity 
of  informing  you,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Barilla,  "  have 
none  remaining  in  first  hands,  but  will  be  'stremely 
happy  to  send  you  this  tumbled  lot,"  pointing  to  a 
scrag  on  the  side  of  his  plate. 

"Not  as  you  know  on,  you  may  say  to  your 
friends  when  you  write  home,"  replied  the  other. 

"I  say,  Mrs.  Griggs,"  said  another,  "  hav'nt 
you  a  very  good  memory,  mem  ?" 

"  Why  yes,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Griggs,  "  I  believe  I 
have,  I  was  never  called  unforgitful  ;  my  husband 
used  to  say  I  was  very  good  at  remembering 
things.  Why  did  you  ask,  sir  ?" 

"  Nothing  in  particular,  mem,  I  only  wanted  to 
inquire  how  long  it  might  be  since  this  bread  was 
baked  ?"  said  the  boarder. 

Mrs.  Griggs  blushed  very  red,  but  all  the  young 
gentlemen  tittered  as  though  they  were  highly  de 
lighted  at  this  piece  of  wit ;  but  for  my  part,  I 
looked  upon  it  as  a  piece  of  great  rudeness,  and  I 
did  not  even  smile. 

ts  I  will  tell  you  what  I  do  remember,"  said  Mrs. 
Griggs  to  the  quizzical  boarder,  "  and  that  is,  that 
you  hav'nt  paid  your  last  month's  board,  you  im 
pudence,  and  I  wish  you  would,  or  else  leave  my 
house.  A  poor  widow  lady,  like  me,  can't  afford 
to  keep  a  genteel  boarding  house  for  nothing." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  81 

There  was  a  general  burst  of  laughter  at  this 
reply  of  Mrs.  Griggs ;  and  the  witty  gentleman 
turned  very  red,  and  looked  very  sheepish,  but  he 
made  no  reply. 

A  young  gentleman,  who  sat  at  my  right,  ob 
serving,  I  suppose,  that  no  one  took  any  notice  of 
me,  and  pitying  my  loneliness,  commenced  a  con 
versation  with  me,  by  asking  if  I  was  fond  of  Man 
hattan  water. 

"  Is  it  mineral  ?"  I  asked. 

"  I  should  think  it  was,"  he  replied;  "  it  is  very 
hard,  at  least." 

"  Does  it  promote  longevity,"  I  inquired,  think 
ing  that  my  neighbour  must  be  a  scientific  gentle 
man,  and  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  speak  in  a 
dignified  manner. 

"It  promotes  longevity  of  office,"  he  replied  ; 
"  his  honor,  the  Recorder,  drinks  a  pint  before 
breakfast  every  morning,  and  he  has  held  his  office 
these  twenty  years.  And  the  company  which  sup 
plies  it  will  live  forever,  they  have  got  a  perpetual 
charter." 

"  Indeed,"  said  I,  "  that  is  very  curious,"  not 
knowing  exactly  what  else  to  say.  "Pray,  what 
are  its  component  parts  ?" 

"  Professor  Silliman  analyzed  it  once,"  replied 
my  communicative  neighbor,  "  and  found  it  con 
tained  two  parts  cats  and  dogs,  and  the  other  parts 


82  HARRY   FRANCO, 

different  kinds  of  salts,  the  names  of  which  I  have 
forgotten." 

"  Does  any  body  besides  his  honor,  the  Recor 
der,  drink  it  ?"  I  inquired. 

"  O,  yes,  sir,  it  is  drank  to  a  very  great  extent  in 
this  community  —  you  have  been  drinking  it  your 
self." 

"  O,  no,  I  have  never  tasted  it,  I  am  certain,"  I 
replied. 

"  O,  yes,  I  am  certain  you  have." 

"  No,  sir,  I  have  not,"  I  replied  sharply,  not 
liking  to  be  contradicted  in  so  positive  a  manner. 

"Allow  me  to  insist  that  you  have,  sir  ;  that  is 
the  very  article  in  your  tumbler." 

At  this  moment,  Mrs.  Griggs  removed  my  plate, 
and  placed  before  me  a  saucer  full  of  bread  pud 
ding,  and  a  copper  tea  spoon  to  eat  it  with  ;  but  the 
remarks  of  my  communicative  neighbor  had  taken 
off  the  keen  edge  of  my  appetite,  and  I  rose  up 
from  the  table  without  tasting  it. 

After  dinner,  I  wandered  about  the  streets  until 
I  was  tired  and  weary,  and  then  I  returned  to  my 
boarding  house,  and  went  early  to  bed,  with  a 
vague  hope  of  being  warned  in  a  dream  of  some 
piece  of  good  fortune,  which  might  be  in  store  for 
me. 

About  midnight,  I  was  aroused  out  of  a  deep 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  83 

slumber,  by  the  entrance  of  three  of  my  room 
mates ;  two  of  them  had  been  to  the  theatre,  and 
they  commenced  singing  "Meet  me  byJMoon- 
light,"  while  the  third,  who  had  been  practising 
at  a  Thespian  club,  delivered  himself  of  Hamlet's 
soliloquy,  trying  to  make  my  head  answer  the  pur 
pose  of  Yorick's  skull,  which  caused  a  great  deal 
of  merriment  ;  but  I  twitched  my  head  away, 
arid  drawing  the  counterpane  over  it,  pretended  to 
be  asleep. 

It  was  not  long  before  my  other  two  room  mates 
came  in.  They  were  firemen.  They  were  dressed 
in  red  flannel  shirts,  drab  jackets  and  trowsers, 
and  large  leather  caps.  They  were  not  both  mem 
bers  of  the  same  company,  and  they  began  talking 
about  their  respective  machines  in  a  very  animat 
ed  manner,  and  I  expected  every  moment  to  see 
them  get  into  a  fight ;  but  after  they  had  abused 
each  other,  in  a  shacking  manner,  for  a  few  mi 
nutes,  they  suddenly  stopped,  and  joined  in  the 
song  of  "  Meet  me  by  Moonlight."  I  ventured 
to  lift  up  my  head  to  take  a  peep  at  them,  when 
one  of  the  firemen,  a  little  black  haired  man,  with 
steel  spectacles,  cried  out,  "  hollo  !  chummy  !  come 
jump  out  of  that,  and  see  the  lions  dance;"  and 
without  more  ado,  he  took  hold  of  my  heels  and 
dragged  me  out  on  to  the  floor  before  I  had  time 


84  HARRY   FRANCO, 

to  make  any  resistance.  I  jumped  upon  my  feet, 
full  of  indignation,  but  perceiving  it  was  all  a  joke, 
I  joined  in  the  laugh,  which  was  raised  at  my  ex 
pense,  and  was  very  soon  on  as  good  terms  with 
my  five  room  mates  as  need  be. 

They  were  whole-souled  liberal  hearted  young 
fellows,  and  therefore  they  would  have  something 
to  drink.  They  cast  lots  to  see  who  should  pay 
for  the  drink,  and  then  drew  a  card  out  of  a  pack 
to  see  who  should  go  after  it,  and  oddly  enough  it 
fell  to  the  lot  of  the  same  person  to  do  both ;  the 
amateur  Thespian  was  the  unfortunate  individual. 
He  went  out  to  a  neighboring  bar-room,  and  soon 
returned  with  a  couple  of  tumblers,  and  a  pitcher 
full  of  mint  juleps,  which  were  no  sooner  drank, 
than  we  were  all  seized  with  a  desire  to  sing. 

The  little  curly-headed  fireman,  it  is  proper  that 
I  should  mention,  being  pious,  refused  to  drink 
any  of  the  juleps,  but  he  lighted  a  cigar,  and  al 
most  suffocated  us  with  smoke. 

The  breakfast  bell  rang  the  next  morning  be 
fore  any  of  us  were  awake,  but  my  room-mates 
all  started  up  at  its  summons,  and  began  to  dress 
themselves  with  great  expedition,  and  with  a  most 
generous  indifference  about  whose  clothes  they  put 
on.  There  appeared  to  be  a  complete  abandon 
ment  of  all  individual  ownership  in  such  articles 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  85 

as  shirt  collars  and  stockings,  and  one  of  these 
free-hearted  fellows  put  on  my  stockings  without 
showing  the  slightest  compunction  of  conscience. 
One  furnished  a  bottle  of  cologne  water,  and  ano 
ther  a  pot  of  bear's  grease ;  one  a  hair  brush,  and 
another  a  comb.  But  I  believe  each  one  confined 
himself  to  his  own  particular  tooth  brush ;  at  all 
events,  I  was  determined  to  do  so  myself. 

These  young  gentlemen  made  a  very  genteel 
appearance  when  they  were  dressed,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  they  made  a  great  show  in  Broadway  of 
an  evening,  when  they  were  released  from  their 
business.  I  could  not  avoid  reflecting  on  the  ease 
with  which  mankind  can  be  imposed  upon  ;  and 
as  I  had  myself  been  most  grossly  deceived  by 
outward  appearances,  I  determined  to  be  on  my 
guard  for  the  future,  and  take  nothing  upon  trust. 

I  was  highly  delighted  with  the  profundity  of 
my  reflections,  and  flattered  myself  that  I  had  made 
a  discovery  in  morals.  The  reader  will  discover, 
long  before  he  will  arrive  at  the  conclusion  of  my 
adventures,  in  what  manner  I  profited  by  this  great 
discovery. 


VOL.  I. 


86  HARRY    FRANCO, 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  new  field,  and  another  speculation. 

ONE  of  my  room-mates  was  a  tall  slender  youth, 
with  light  blue  eyes  and  whitish  hair  ;  he  wore  a 
blue  frock  coat,  with  a  stand-up  collar  ;  a  black 
stock,  and  a  blue  cloth  cap  very  much  pulled  over 
his  eyes  ;  he  usually  carried  a  little  ebony  stick 
under  one  arm,  and  a  half-bound  book  under  the 
other.  Sometimes,  when  he  did  not  forget  to  put 
them  on,  he  wore  a  pair  of  steel  bowed  spectacles, 
the  glasses  of  which  were  slightly  tinged  with 
blue.  He  had  once  been  a  cadet  at  West  Point,  and 
he  still  wore  a  certain  military  air,  which,  although 
very  easily  recognised,  would  be  very  difficult  to 
describe.  He  was  very  grand  in  his  conversation, 
and  made  use  of  the  choicest  words  in  the  diction 
ary.  His  name  was  D.  Wellington  Worhoss. 

I  was  sitting  in  my  room  after  breakfast,  with 
my  eyes  resting  on  Miss  De  Lancey's  handker 
chief,  while  the  eyes  of  my  mind  were  looking 
into  the  dim  future  which  the  light  of  my  imagi 
nation  was  beginning  to  enliven,  when  Mr.  Wor 
hoss  came  in,  and  having  pulled  off  his  cap  and 
gloves,  he  sat  down,  and  resting  his  heels  upon  the 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  87 

mantel  piece,  he  tipped  himself  back  in  his  chair, 
and  without  apparently  observing  that  I  was  in 
the  room,  began  to  read  aloud. 

I  did  not  feel  myself  very  highly  complimented 
by  the  little  notice  which  Mr.  Worhoss  took  of 
me,  and  to  show  him  that  I  held  him  as  cheaply 
as  he  seemed  to  hold  me,  I  opened  a  book,  and 
began  to  read  aloud  myself.  He  looked  at  me 
over  his  shoulder  with  as  much  sternness  as  a 
young  gentleman  with  blue  eyes  and  whitish  hair 
could  assume,  but  perceiving  that  I  showed  no 
signs  of  immediate  dissolution  from  the  effects  of 
his  glances,  he  threw  down  his  book,  and  I  did  the 
same. 

Mr*.  Worhoss  and  I  were,  a  very  few  minutes 
after,  established  friends.  He  swore  he  would 
never  desert  me,  and  made  me  his  confidant  on 
the  spot. 

I  was  sorry  to  learn  from  Mr.  Worhoss  that 
times  were  hard.  He  informed  me  that  the 
11  House  "  in  which  he  had  been  employed  as  a 
clerk,  had  "  bursted  up,"  and  that  he  was,  in  con 
sequence,  a  gentleman  at  large.  "  However,"  he 
said  in  a  solemn  manner,  "  I  don't  care  a  tenpence 
about  it ;  I  never  did  like  mercantile  pursuits.  It 
indicates  a  want  of  soul  to  be  devoted  to  them. 
Business  has  a  tendency  to  blunt  the  finer  feelings 


88  HARRY    FRANCO, 

of  our  nature,  and  I  will  acknowledge  to  you  in 
confidence,  that  I  always  found  it  an  extremely 
difficult  operation  to  adjust  my  mind  to  the  level 
of  a  counting-room." 

"  Ah,"  I  said,  "  I  should  be  very  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  adjust  my  mind  to  any  occupation 
which  would  yield  me  a  small  salary." 

"  Be  content,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss,  "  to  cultivate 
your  sensibilities  in  some  gentlemanly  manner, 
and  don't  throw  away  your  talents  upon  trade. 
However,"  he  continued,  "  if  gain  is  your  object, 
I  can  put  you  in  a  way  of  making  a  handsome 
per  centage  on  a  small  investment." 

I  told  Mr.  Worhoss  I  should  feel  myself  under 
great  obligations  to  him,  if  he  would;  that  I  had 
got  a  little  money  left,  and  that  I  should  have  no 
objection  in  the  world  to  investing  it  to  a  good 
advantage. 

"  Then  you  are  just  the  gentleman  I  wanted  to 
see,"  he  replied,  taking  my  hand,  and  squeezing 
it  very  warmly.  "  I  have  written  a  prize  article 
for  the  Mirror,  for  which  I  expect  to  obtain  fifty 
dollars,  and  if  you  will  advance  me  five  dollars,  I 
will  return  you  ten,  when  I  receive  the  prize." 

I  thanked  Mr.  Worhoss  for  his  liberal  offer, 
and  ventured  to  ask,  if  there  was  not  a  possibility 
of  his  not  receiving  the  prize  ? 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  89 

"Not  the  slightest  in  the  world,"  he  replied  ; 
"  it  is  to  be  awarded  by  a  committee  of  literary 
gentlemen,  all  men  of  taste,  and  they  cannot  do 
otherwise  than  decide  in  favor  of  my  article. 
But  you  shall  judge,  yourself,  of  the  probability 
of  their  doing  so.  I  will  read  the  article  to  you." 

I  told  Mr.  Worhoss  he  might  spare  himself  the 
trouble,  as  I  had  great  confidence  in  his  represen 
tations.  But,  in  spite  of  all  I  could  say,  he  would 
read  it  to  me. 

As  mankind  are  prone  to  wreak  their  vengeance 
on  the  innocent  when  they  cannot  on  the  offend 
ing,  I  do  not  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  break  through 
an  established  custom,  as  I  might  thereby  subject 
myself  to  be  called  a  fanatic,  or  some  other  evil 
name  ;  I  shall,  therefore,  revenge  myself  upon 
you,  most  gentle  reader,  for  the  sin  of  Mr.  Wor 
hoss,  by  repeating  to  you  the  prize  article  which 
that  gentleman  wrote  for  the  Mirror.  Here  it  is: 

AUGUSTUS  DE  SATINETT, 

A    TALE    OF    FASHION  ; 
OR, 

THE  MYSTERIES   OF   THE   PASSIONS. 

Dedicated  to  the    Thoughtful. 

Augustus  de  Satinett  was  a  jobber  ;  a  choicer 

spirit  the  region  of  Hanover  square  boasted  not. 

8* 


90  HARRY    FRANCO, 

Pearl  street  and  Maiden  Lane  may  have  known 
his  equal,  his  superior  never.  He  had  risen  from 
junior  clerk  to  junior  partner,  in  one  of  the  oldest 
firms.  The  best  blood  of  the  revolution  flowed  in 
his  veins ;  his  mother  was  a  Van  Buster,  his  father 
a  de  Satinett ;  a  more  remote  ancestry,  or  a  more 
noble,  it  were  vain  to  desire.  Augustus  had  a  no 
ble  soul,  it  was  a  seven  quarter  full ;  his  virtues 
were  all  his  own,  and  they  were  dyed  in  the  wool ; 
his  vices  were  those  of  his  age  —  they  were  dyed 
in  the  cloth. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  Augustus  was  per 
fect  in  manly  beauty  ;  his  teeth  were  white  and 
even,  his  lips  were  finely  chiselled,  a  profusion  of 
chestnut  curls  clustered  upon  his  noble  brow,  and 
genius  flashed  from  his  hazel  eyes.  He  lifted  his 
hat  to  all  his  acquaintances  with  an  air  of  easy 
dignity,  which  spoke,  as  plainly  as  an  air  could 
speak,  that  Augustus  had  travelled  in  foreign  parts, 
for  he  had  drummed  in  Arkansas,  and  collected 
in  the  lithograph  cities  of  the  west. 

It  required  no  stretch  of  classic  fancy,  in  those 
who  saw  de  Satinett,  to  believe  that  some  fond 
Pygmalion  of  the  sex,  whose  existence  is  a  senti 
ment,  had  loved  into  life  a  marble  Antinous, 
which,  stepping  from  his  eternal  pedestal,  had  put 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  91 

on  the  habiliments  with  which  fashion  clothes  her 
votaries. 

Eugenia  Bergen  ville  was  the  only  daughter  of  a 
doting  mother.  She,  Eugenia,  and  not  her  mother, 
was  all  loveliness  and  all  sentiment.  In  her  were 
all  the  elements  of  beauty  combined,  in  parts  har 
monious.  She  was  like  one  of  those  glorious  visions 
of  light  and  loveliness,  which  sometimes  visit  us 
when  the  soul  is  warm  and  plastic,  and  which  leave 
upon  the  tablets  of  memory,  an  impression  which 
time  cannot  efface. 

Her  mother  had  seen  much  of  the  world,  for  she 
had  once  dispensed  the  culinary  offerings  of  Po 
mona,  in  the  temple  which  bears  the  honored  name 
of  Fulton  ;  to  speak  plain,  she  used  to  sell  kitchen 
vegetables  in  Fulton  market.  But  she  had  become 
rich  by  the  purchase  of  a  lucky  ticket  in  a  lottery, 
and  retired  to  private  life ;  and  all  the  energies  of 
her  soul  were  devoted  to  the  education  of  the  young 
Eugenia,  whom  she  determined  to  bring  up  in  the 
genteelest  manner;  with  her,  to  determine  was  to 
do.  Eugenia  was  genteely  brought  up. 

She  was  an  accomplished  performer  on  thepiano, 
and  sang  in  the  Italian  style ;  how  could  she  be 
otherwise  than  accomplished  —  had  she  not  taken 
forty  lessdns  of  Coward  ?  Not  having  a  decided 
taste  for  reading  and  writing,  those  ordinary 


92  HARRY    FRANCO, 

branches  were  dispensed  with,  they  not  being 
deemed  essentials  in  a  genteel  bringing  up.  But 
she  knew  several  French  phrases  by  heart,  and  she 
could  sing  an  Italian  song.  What  more  conld  the 
most  fastidious  desire?  But,  she  could  boast  of 
more.  Her  dresses  were  made  by  Madam  Marti- 
neau,  who  received  the  Petit  Cornier  by  the  Havre 
packets,  direct  from  Paris.  It  was  the  boast  of 
Eugenia's  mother,  that  her  daughter  dressed  in  the 
very  first  style. 

Augustus  and  Eugenia  met :  the  Fates  had  de 
signed  them  for  each  other ;  there  was,  therefore, 
no  reason  why  they  should  be  kept  asunder.  It 
was  at  a  benefit  ball  in  St.  Tammany  that  they  first 
saw  each  other. 

It  may  be  thought  by  some,  that  this  was  an 
improper  place  for  two  such  beings  to  visit.  Per 
haps  it  was.  Charruaud's  might  have  been  more 
select,  or  Niblo's  a  thought  genteeler.  But  perils 
are  to  be  encountered  wherever  youth  and  beauty 
meet ;  and  we  have  no  desire  to  interfere  with  the 
doings  of  those  peremptory  personages,  the  Fates ; 
it  was  by  them  ordained,  that  Augustus  and  Eu 
genia  should  meet  within  the  walls  sacred  to  St. 
Tammany. 

Many  and  fair  were  the  forms  that  graced  that 
benefit  ball.  Chatham  street  sent  forth  its  beau- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  93 

ties,  and  the  Bowery  held  not  back  its  gay  crea 
tures  from  the  festive  scene.  Long  wreaths  of 
greens  and  paper  roses,  were  suspended  from  the 
pillars  of  the  hall,  and  the  gas  lights  burned  with  a 
brilliancy  which  made  every  thing  short  of  liquid 
rouge  look  pale.  Augustus  danced  a  pas  dctrois 
with  the  Misses  P.,  and  Eugenia  danced  a  pas  de 
deux  with  Mr.  P. 

Augustus  had  no  sooner  seen  Eugenia,  than  he 
felt  that  his  time  was  come,  and  he  sought  for  the 
master  of  ceremonies,  who  wore  a  white  riband  in 
his  button  hole,  snd  requested  to  be  introduced. 
Now,  the  master  of  ceremonies  had  never  seen  Au 
gustus  before  ;  but  being  a  perfect  stranger,  is  no 
bar  at  a  benefit  ball,  to  an  introduction  ;  so  the 
master  of  ceremonies  took  Augustus  under  his 
arm,  and  introduced  him  to  Eugenia,  as  his  parti 
cular  friend.  Augustus  bowed  to  Eugenia,  and 
requested  the  pleasure  of  dancing  with  her  in  the 
next  quadrille.  Now,  Eugenia  had  engaged  her 
self  for  every  dance  that  might  be  danced,  and  for 
the  rustic  reel  at  the  close ;  but  feeling  that  her 
destiny  was  sealed,  with  an  ingenuousness  peculiar 
to  the  place,  she  suddenly  forgot  all  her  promises, 
and  yielded  at  once  to  the  solicitations  of  Augus 
tus ;  and  he  had  the  pleasure,  not  only  of  dancing 


94  HARRY   FRANCO, 

the  next  quadrille  with  her,  but/of  dancing  all  the 
quadrilles  that  were  danced  on  that  eventful  night. 

Many  months  did  not  pass  by  before  Augustus 
spoke  of  marriage;  but  Eugenia  was  a  child  of  na 
ture,  and  with  an  artless  simplicity,  peculiar  only  to 
children  of  nature,  and  to  the  disciples  of  Madam 
Darusmont,  she  exclaimed,  "  what  is  marriage  ?" 

Augustus  endeavored  to  explain  to  her  how  it 
was  necessary,  before  two  souls  could  be  made  one, 
that  some  form  of  ceremony  should  be  submitted 
to,  although  a  very  trifling  one  would  satisfy  the 
law ;  very  trifling  indeed,  compared  with  its  en 
during  effects.  But  Eugenia  could  not  understand 
why  she  could  not  love  and  be  loved,  as  purely 
and  as  ardently,  without  the  aid  of  priests  as  with. 
11  What  is  marriage  ?"  she  exclaimed  again,  in  sim 
ple  purity  of  soul ;  "  if  it  is  to  love  my  dear  Augus 
tus  better  than  any  other  object  on  earth,  better 
even  than  my  music  master,  or  my  mother,  then 
am  I  married  already." 

But,  if  Augustus  was  satisfied  that  Eugenia 
needed  not  the  ties  of  the  matrimonial  statutes  to 
ensure  her  felicity,  he  knew  that  they  were  neces 
sary  to  ensure  his,  so  he  insisted  on  being  married 
in  the  old  fashioned  manner.  Eugenia  at  last  con 
sented,  and  one  bright  and  pleasant  moonlight 
night,  they  were  made  one  by  a  Roman  Catholic 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  95 

priest,  in  his  back  parlor,  in  Orange  street.  The 
priest  being  an  Irishman,  his  foreign  accent  im 
parted  a  degree  of  romance  to  the  ceremony; 
which,  in  a  measure,  softened  the  feelings  of*  Eu 
genia,  and  made  the  requirements  of  the  law  less 
odious  to  her  susceptible  soul. 

The  honey  moon  had  fulled  and  waned,  when  I 
received  an  invitation  to  spend  a  sociable  evening 
with  Augustus.  I  found  him  seated  with  his  wife. 
He  welcomed  me  with  a  cordial  welcome,  but  she 
neither  looked  at  me  nor  welcomed  me.  An  ill- 
natured  observer  might  have  said  she  was  in  the 
sulks,  but  doubtless  her  heart  was  too  full ;  she  was 
too  happy  to  speak. 

Augustus  was  a  ripe  scholar,  and  he  loved  to 
talk  of  books.  His  library  was  choice  and  ele 
gant  ;  it  contained  Bulvver  and  Scott  complete,  and 
the  "  Encyclopedia  Americana,"  and  books  of  a 
graver  cast  were  not  wanting;  the  works  of  Han 
nah  Moore  held  a  conspicuous  place  on  his  shelves, 
and  their  contents  were  familiar  to  his  mind  :  he 
had  read  Coelebs  when  a  boy,  and  he  had  the 
highest  regard  for  its  author  ;  and  when  speaking 
of  her,  he  called  her  "his  Hannah,"  and  his  "fa 
vorite  Miss  Moore.11  In  the  course  of  the  evening, 
he  frequently  spoke  of  her  by  these  familiar  names, 


96 


HARRY   FRANCO, 


which  showed  the  warmth  of  his  affection  for  his 
favorite  authors. 

Time  will  pass  away  even  when  familiar  friends 
are  discussing  their  favorite  authors.  Mrs.  de  Sa- 
tinett,  for  so  we  must  call  Eugenia,  began  to  give 
hints,  which  could  not  be  misunderstood,  that  it 
was  time  to  retire.  The  rain  was  pattering  against 
the  windows,  and  the  house  was  far  up  town.  Au 
gustus  pressed  me  to  take  a  bed ;  I  could  not  re 
fuse.  As  he  showed  me  to  my  chamber,  he  took 
my  hand,  "  Belville,"  he  said,  with  a  solemn  ear 
nestness,  "  you  are  not  married." 

"  No,"  I  said,  "  but  you  are." 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  feel  that  I  am." 

He  could  say  no  more,  and  I  bid  him  good 
night. 

My  chamber  adjoined  that  of  Augustus  and  his 
wife,  and  as  it  was  a  genteel  house,  the  wall  was 
not  so  thick  but  that  I  could  hear  the  conversation 
that  passed  between  them.  J  was  unwilling  to  do 
so,  of  course,  but  I  could  not  avoid  it. 

"  I  wish  I  was  dead  and  in  my  grave,"  said 
Eugenia. 

"  How  can  you,  my  dear,  distress  me  to  death," 
said  Augustus  to  this  unnatural  wish  of  his  wife. 

"  No  danger  of  your  being  distressed  to  death," 
said  Eugenia,  sobbing. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  97 

"  What  on  earth  have  I  done,  ray  dear,  to  de 
serve  this  ?"  said  Augustus. 

"You  have  broken  my  poor  heart,"  said  Eu 
genia. 

"My  dear,  you  will  drive  me  mad,"  said  Au 
gustus. 

"  No  danger  of  your  going  mad,"  sobbed  Eu 
genia. 

"  Don't  say  so,  dear,  don't  ;  there,"  a  kiss, 
"  there,  then." 

"  Let  me  alone,"  exclaimed  Eugenia. 

"  Oh  !  oh  !"  groaned  Augustus,  "  what  have  I 
done  or  said  to  offend  you  ?" 

I  could  hear  him  pacing  the  room  with  quick 
and  rapid  strides,  and  I  thought  to  myself,  how 
surprising  it  was,  that  he  did  not  pursue  the  only 
obviously  proper  course  in  such  a  case.  I  will  not 
name  the  course  of  action  which  appeared  to  me 
proper  on  the  occasion,  for  fear  of  giving  ofTence  ; 
for  I  am  aware  that  there  are  differences  of  opinion 
on  this  as  well  as  on  other  subjects. 

Eugenia,  after  sobbing  hysterically  a  few  min 
utes  longer,  exclaimed  again,  "  I  wish  I  was  dead 
and  buried."  "  Don't,  my  dear,"  said  Augustus, 
"  tempt  me  to  say  I  wish  you  were."  "  You  cruel 
wretch,"  exclaimed  Eugenia,  "you  are  trying  to 

VOL.  i.  9 


98  HAKKif  FRANCO, 

kill  me.  To  sit  there  all  the  evening,  before  my 
face,  and  talk  about  that  nasty  Hannah." 

"  What  Hannah  f"  exclaimed  Augustus,  in 
great  consternation. 

"Your  old  flame,  Miss  More,  your  favorite,  as 
you  call  her ;  to  my  face  too." 

Augustus  laughed  outright.  He  expostulated 
with  Eugenia  ;  he  explained  to  her  that  Hannah 
More  was  only  his  favorite  author ;  that  he  had 
never  seen  her  in  his  life  ;  that  she  was  an  ugly  old 
maid,  and  above  all,  that  she  was  in  her  grave. 
But  it  was  all  to  no  purpose,  he  might  have  re 
buked  the  angry  sea  with  as  much  effect.  Euge 
nia  had  no  conception  of  such  a  thing  as  a  favorite 
author  ;  all  books  were  alike  to  her,  from  a  penny 
magazine  to  a  polyglott  bible ;  and  as  to  a  book  hav 
ing  been  written  by  a  woman,  it  was  something  en 
tirely  beyond  the  circumference  of  her  understand 
ing  ;  she  would  not  believe  a  word  of  it.  She  would 
have  it  that  Hannah  More  was  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  an  old  flame,  or  something  worse,  of  her 
lord's.  She  sobbed,  and  at  last  he  swore. 

How  they  settled  the  difficulty  for  the  night  I  am 
ignorant  to  this  day,  for  I  soon  fell  asleep,  and 
heard  nothing  farther  of  their  conversation. 

From  that  memorable  night  I  saw  a  great 
change  in  Augustus  de  Satinett;  but,  why  pro- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  99 

long  a  painful  tale,  or  dwell  upon  the  events  which 
prostrated  a  noble  nature.  Thenceforth  Augus 
tus  knew  no  rest.  Eugenia  would  sit  for  hours, 
and  the  only  words  which  would  escape  her  lips, 
were,  "  Miss  More."  When  he  sought  his  home, 
after  a  day  of  fatiguing  toil,  the  first  sound  that 
struck  his  ear,  was,  "  Hannah  ;"  and  when  he  laid 
his  head  upon  his  pillow,  instead  of  the  sweet 
spirit  of  sleep  which  once  closed  his  eye  lids,  the 
sound  of  his  no  longer  favorite  "  Hannah's"  name 
chased  the  kind  sprite  away,  and  he  was  doomed 
to  hear  more  of  Miss  More. 

At  last,  Augustus  took  to  gin  ;  but,  that  old 
fashioned  alleviator  failing  to  bring  relief,  he 
sought  for  peace  arnid  the  din  of  battle,  and  on 
the  plains  of  Texas  joined  the  brave  spirits  who 
poured  out  their  blood  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and 
land  speculations. 

When  Mr.  Worhoss  concluded  his  article,  he 
exclaimed  triumphantly,  "  what  do  you  think 
now  ?" 

The  truth  is,  thought  I,  that  fifty  dollars  would 
be  an  extravagant  price  to  pay  for  the  history  of 
Mr.  de  Satinett,  but  I  was  afraid  to  say  so,  for 
fear  of  offending  Mr.  Worhoss,  so  I  took  out  my 
pocket  book  and  lent  him  five  dollars,  and  he  gave 


100  HARRY    FRANCO, 

me  a  promise  in  writing,  to  return  ten  dollars  in 
case  he  should  receive  the  prize  of  fifty. 

As  Mr.  Worhoss  had  been  so  free  in  his  remarks 
to  me,  I  frankly  told  him  what  my  own  condition 
was,  and  asked  him  to  recommended  me  to  some 
employment.  He  advised  me  to  take  an  office 
in  Wall  street,  and  commence  the  brokerage  busi 
ness,  or  to  open  an  eating  house,  or  to  study  for 
the  ministry.  But,  as  neither  of  these  employ 
ments  exactly  suited  my  expectations,  he  promised 
to  take  me  under  his  protection,  and  procure  a 
situation  for  me  immediately,  with  some  respect 
able  jobber. 

I  felt  myself  fortunate  in  securing,  at  so  cheap 
a  rate,  the  friendship  of  so  accomplished  a  gen 
tleman  as  Mr.  Worhoss,  and  I  listened  to  his 
conversation  for  two  or  three  hours  with  great  sat 
isfaction. 

"  For  my  own  part,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss,  as  he 
threw  his  heels  over  the  back  of  a  chair  and  lighted 
a  cigar,  "  I  am  determined  to  live  easy,  to  live 
well  and  genteely  ;  and  work,  I  wont." 

"Then  you  have  got  a  rich  father  to  lean  upon  ?" 
I  said. 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss ;  "  I  am 
sorry  to  say  it,  but,  my  father  is  very  poor.  He 
was  a  member  of  Congress  a  good  many  years, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  101 

and  as  he  spent  all  his  time  in  -attending  to  the 
affairs  of  the  nation,  of  course  his  own  affairs  all 
went  to  sixes  and  sevens ;  and  all  he  ever  got  for 
his  patriotism,  was  an  appointment  at  West  Point 
for  myself,  and  a  midshipman's  warrant  for  my 
brother,  who  was  dismissed  the  service  for  sleep 
ing  in  his  watch  ;  and  I  left  the  Point,  because  I 
couldn't  brook  the  restraints  that  were  put  upon 
my  actions.  The  fact  is,  I  had  a  penchant  for  a 
remarkably  fine  turkey  cock  of  the  Colonel's, 
which  I  endeavored  one  Christmas  eve  to  intro 
duce  into  rny  room  ;  and  this  trifling  circumstance, 
some  how  or  other,  caused  me  to  leave  the  Point. 
But,  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  rich 
father,  in  order  to  live  without  work.  Society, 
you  must  know,  that  is,  the  civilized  world,  have 
agreed  that  a  few  of  their  number  shall  live  in 
ease  and  elegance,  while  the  many  shall  work  and 
sweat  like  slaves." 

"  I  knew  that  such  was  the  case,"  I  remarked, 
"  but  I  never  knew  before  that  there  was  any 
agreement  about  the  matter.  Pray  how  long  is 
it  since  the  arrangement  was  made  ?" 

"  Ever  since  the  flood,"  replied  Mr.  Warhoss, 
"  and  probably  long  before.  I  do  not  positively  as 
sert  that  there  have  been  any  writings  drawn  up  and 

signed  by  the  parties,  but  still  the  agreement  ex- 
9* 


102  HARRY    FRANCO, 

Jsts,  and- it  has  .been  strictly  adhered  to  in  all  ages, 
and  will  be  in  all  time  to  come,  at  least  in  my 
time  ;  so  I  have  resolved  to  make  the  most  of  it, 
without  stopping  to  inquire  into  the  justice  of  the 
arrangement." 

"  Ah,"  I  said,  "  it  is  the  tyranny  of  custom,  and 
not  an  agreement  between  the  parties  that  causes 
such  an  unnatural  state  of  things  to  exist." 

"  All  stuff,"  replied  Mr.  Warhoss  ;  "  how  can 
you  call  it  tyranny,  when  the  strongest  party  vo 
lunteers  to  serve  the  weakest.  Tyranny  is  an  un 
righteous  exercise  of  power  over  those  who  are 
incapable  of  resistance.  If  seven  eighths  of  man 
kind  choose  to  endure  all  manner  of  privations, 
that  the  remaining  eighth  may  enjoy  all  manner 
of  comforts,  you  may  call  it  infatuation,  but  call 
it  not  tyranny.  However,  if  you  are  fond  of  ar 
gument,  I  will  argue  with  you  about  the  moon 
being  made  of  green  cheese,  because  that  is  a 
subject  on  which  there  may  be  doubts ;  but  to  ar 
gue  about  an  established  fact  is  an  absurdity. 
The  truth  is  as  1  have  stated  it  to  you,  and  I  will 
tell  you  in  confidence  that  I  have  enrolled  myself 
in  the  ranks  of  the  minority  who  receive  tribute 
from  the  majority,  but  in  what  manner  I  shall  re 
ceive  my  portion  I  have  not  determined.  You,  I 
perceive,  are  anxious  to  join  the  many,  and  labor 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  103 

for  us  ;  well,  every  man  to  his  liking ;  I  shall  not 
dispute  with  you  in  a  matter  of  personal  tastes, 
but,  one  thing  I  will  advise  you  to  do  before  you 
proceed  any  farther  ;  and  that  is,  to  have  your 
head  examined." 

"  My  head,"  I  exclaimed  in  astonishment, 
11  there  is  nothing  the  matter  with  my  head." 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  Mr.  Worhoss ;  "  I 
mean  the  developments  of  your  skull,  that  you 
may  know  what  pursuit  is  best  adapted  to  your 
powers  of  mind,  and  in  which  you  would  of  course 
be  most  likely  to  succeed." 

As  this  was  a  point  on  which  I  was  most  anx 
ious  to  receive  information,  I  thanked  Mr.  Wor 
hoss  for  his  suggestion  ;  and  he  proposed  that  I 
should  go  with  him  to  the  phrenological  rooms  of 
his  friend,  Mr.  Fingrum  ;  whither  I  accompanied 
him,  to  submit  my  head,  with  all  its  imperfections, 
to  the  examination  of  that  celebrated  philosopher. 


104  HARRY    FRANCO, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Like  a  previous  chapter,  adds  another  link  to  the  chain  of  my 
adventures,  without  increasing  the  intensity  of  interest  which 
they  may  have  excited. 

THE  "  phrenological  rooms,"  were  a  very  small 
office  iu  Nassau  street,  with  a  dark  closet  attached 
to  it.  There  was  a  little  cupboard  in  one  corner, 
filled  with  plaster  busts,  and  most  hideous  looking 
skulls.  In  the  little  closet,  the  floor  of  which  was 
covered  with  a  dirty  carpet,  sat  a  lady  on  a  high 
stool,  with  her  hair  over  her  face,  and  Mr.  Fin- 
grum  the  phrenologist  standing  over  her,  poking 
his  long  bony  fingers  over  her  head,  and  calling 
out  the  size  of  her  organs  to  a  pale  young  man, 
who  marked  them  upon  a  phrenological  chart,  as 
they  were  announced.  Mr.Fingrum  was  a  tall  gaunt 
man,  with  a  very  thin  face  and  a  very  red  nose. 
He  wore  a  rusty  suit  of  black,  and  a  dirty  white 
cambric  cravat.  Altogether,  his  appearance  was 
philosophical  in  the  extreme. 

After  the  manipulation  of  the  lady's  head  was 
completed,  and  all  her  organs  were  properly  set 
down,  she  glanced  over  the  chart,  apparently  with 
great  satisfaction  ;  but,  she  thought  her  "  amativ." 
was  put  down  a  number  too  high  ;  upon  which, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  105 

the  phrenologist  requested  her  to  take  off  her 
bonnet  again,  and  he  re-examined  that  particular 
organ,  and  decided,  that  instead  of  Ko 
too  high,  it  was  actually  a  number  iuu  io\v.  He 
explained,  that  the  reason  why  the  lady  had  doubts 
about  it,  was  all  owing  to  her  "  self-esteem  "  being 
so  very  small. 

With  this  explanation,  she  appeared  entirely  sa- 
tised  ;  and  when  she  left  the  "  rooms,"  she  said  she 
should  recommend  several  of  her  female  acquain 
tances,  who  had  very  interesting  heads,  to  call  on 
Mr.  Fingrum  and  be  examined. 

As  the  phrenological  rooms  were  conducted  on 
the  strictly  republican  principle  of  "  first  come  first 
served,"  I  was  forced  to  wait  my  turn,  and  a  stout 
red  faced  gentleman  next  took  his  seat  upon  the 
stool. 

Mr.  Fingrum  hesitated  for  a  minute  before  he 
put  his  hands  upon  the  head  of  his  sitter,  and  going 
to  a  glass  case,  he  took  out  a  half  decayed  skull, 
which  he  appeared  to  regard  with  great  delight. 

"  This,"  said  the  phrenologist,  with  great  so 
lemnity,  "is  the  skull  of  Saint  Paul." 

"  What,  the  apostle  !"  exclaimed  the  stout  gen 
tleman,  starting  upon  his  feet. 

"  The  very  same,"  replied  Mr.  Fingrum. 

"Bless  my  heart,   bless  my  heart,"  said    the 


106  HARRY    FRANCO, 

w  .       --.  —  o 

upon  the  stool  again,  "  that  ever  I  should  live  to 
sue  the  skull  of  Saint  Paul  the  Apostle.  Why  he 
has  been  dead  these  eighteen  hundred  years." 

"  No  he  hasn't,"  replied  the  phrenologist,  "  you 
must  remember  that  Saint  Paul  was  a  very  old  gen 
tleman  when  he  suffered  martyrdom,  and  that  he 
was  not  converted  until  some  years  after  the  as 
cension." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  the  gentleman,  "  he  has  not 
been  dead  as  long  as  I  thought  at  first." 

"  I  want  you  should  observe,  sir,"  continued  Mr. 
Fingrum,  while  he  polished  the  skull  with  the 
palms  of  his  hands,  "  that  a  gentleman  may  have 
a  development  of  very  bad  propensities,  and  yet 
be  the  best  and  noblest  of  his  race.  Or  rather  he 
may  have  organs  which  might  be  productive  of 
evil,  but  which,  under  proper  guidance,  will  be 
come  instruments  of  good.  Thus  you  see  that  des- 
tructiv.  and  combativ.,  which  are  so  fully  deve 
loped  in  Saint  Paul,  and  which  once  sent  him  on 
an  errand  of  cruelty  to  Damascus,  afterwards,  when 
his  conscientiousness,  which  you  observe  is  also 
very  large,  had  aided  the  Holy  Spirit  to  work  his 
conversion,  caused  him  to  speak  out  so  bravely 
before  Festus  and  Agrippa,  and  enter  valiantly 
jnto  the  theatre  at  Ephesus." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  107 

"  Well,  well,  I  shouldn't  wonder,''  said  the 
sitter. 

Mr.  Fingrum  replaced  the  skull  of  Saint  Paul 
in  the  glass  case,  and  commenced  the  examination 
of  the  stout  gentleman,  who  shut  both  eyes,  and 
held  down  his  head  as  reverently  as  though  Mr. 
Fingrum  was  about  to  pronounce  a  benediction 
upon  him. 

The  phrenologist  pressed  his  hands  upon  the 
head  of  his  sitter,  and  began  to  name  over  the  de 
velopments  to  his  assistant,  who  sat,  pen  in  hand, 
ready  to  take  down  his  remarks  on  a  chart. 

"  Amativ.  large,"  mumbled  Mr.  F. ;  "  Philopro- 
genitiv.  full;  Adhesiv.  large;  Inhabitiv.  small; 
Concentrativ.  large;  Combativ.  very  large;  Des- 
tructiv.  very  large." 

"  What,"  exclaimed  the  gentleman,  opening  his 
eyes,  and  turning  redder  in  the  face,  "  do  you 
mean  to  tell  me  that  I  am  a  destructive  ?" 

"  I  say  that  you  have  combativeness  and  des- 
tructiveness  very  largely  developed,  and  that  you 
must,  in  consequence,  be  addicted  to  fighting, 
and—" 

'*  I  say  I  am  not,"  replied  the  gentleman,  "  and 
don't  you  tell  me  that  again.  I  am  one  of  the 
most  peaceable  men  in  my  Ward." 

"  Perhaps  you  are,"  said  the  phrenologist,  "  but 


108  HARRY    FRANCO, 

I  am  not  accountable  for  your  developments,  and 
I  must  repeat,  that  your  destructiveness  is  very 
large." 

"  Take  your  hands  off  of  my  head,"  exclaimed 
the  gentleman,  jumping  up,  "  and  take  that  for 
your  insolence,  you  red  nosed  ghost."  And  with 
out  more  ado,  he  struck  the  phrenologist  a  blow 
under  the  ear,  which  sent  him  reeling  up  against 
his  assistant,  who  stumbled  against  the  case  which 
contained  the  head  of  Saint  Paul,  which  he  over 
turned,  and  smashed  the  glass  plate  which  covered 
that  valuable  relic.  The  destructive  gentleman 
then  took  his  hat,  and  walked  out  of  the  "  rooms," 
in  a  state  of  high  excitement. 

The  phrenologists  got  upon  their  feet  again,  after 
a  while,  but  it  was  a  long  time  before  either  could 
speak. 

"  That  is  all  owing,"  said  Mr.  Fingrum,  as  soon 
as  he  had  recovered  from  his  fright.  "  to  my  cau 
tiousness  being  so  small  ;  confound  it,  I  wish  it  was 
bigger.  I  perceived,  at  a  glance,  that  that  man's 
self  esteem  and  combativ.,  would  make  him  a  dan 
gerous  subject  to  handle,  and  so  I  showed  him  the 
peculiarities  of  Saint  Paul's  skull,  to  prepare  his 
mind  for  what  I  should  be  obliged  to  say  about 
his  own  ;  but  I  ought  to  have  been  more  cautious." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  109 

"  And  was  that  really  Saint  Paul's  skull  ?"  I 
asked. 

"  That,  no,"  said  the  phrenologist,  "  it  was  the 
skull  of  Gibbs,  the  pirate.  I  saw  that  the  man's 
marvel,  was  so  large  that  he  would  believe  any 
thing  I  might  tell  him  ;  if  I  had  told  him  it  was  the 
skull  of  Cain,  he  would  have  believed  it.  But  he 
shall  find  that  my  combativeness  is  as  large  as  his 
own  ;  I  will  go  immediately  to  the  police  office 
and  have  him  arrested."  And  so  he  took  his  hat 
and  cane,  and  walked  oft",  and  I  was  obliged  to 
leave  the  rooms  without  having  my  head  examined, 
a  circumstance  which  I  regretted  very  much,  as  I 
felt  myself  entirely  at  a  loss  to  determine  what  pur 
suit  my  talents  best  qualified  me  for.  My  inclina 
tions  rather  leaned  to  the  course  which  my  new 
friend,  Mr.  Worhoss,  had  marked  out  for  himself; 
but  I  thought  it  would  be  prudent  to  try  something 
else  first  before  I  joined  his  party. 

At  the  tea  table  I  met  Mr.  Worhoss  again,  and 
that  kind  hearted  young  gentleman  invited  me  to 
take  a  walk  with  him  after  tea  and  see  the  town. 
As  I  was  anxious  to  see  every  thing  worth  seeing, 
I  thanked  him  for  his  kindness,  and  accepted  his 
offer.  He  said  he  would  just  step  up  to  his  room 
and  dress,  and  then  he  should  be  ready  for  a  walk. 

As  Mr.  Worhoss's  "to  dress,"  meant /.nothing 

VOL.  i.  10 


110  HARRY    FRANCO, 

more  than  buttoning  up  another  button  of  his  coat, 
and  brushing  his  hair,  and  pulling  down  his  wrist 
bands,  I  thought  he  was  an  unreasonable  long  time 
in  doing  it.  At  length,  however,  he  made  his  ap 
pearance,  with  his  slender  ebony  stick  in  his  hand, 
and  we  walked  out  together.  The  street  lamps 
were  lighted,  and  Mr.  Worhoss  remarked  that  as 
it  was  too  late  to  see  any  thing  in  Broadway,  it 
would  be  advisable  to  go  direct  to  the  theatre.  He 
said  there  was  to  be  a  sterling  English  comedy,  and 
a  new  French  dancer,  and  consequently,  all  the 
beauty  and  fashion  of  the  city  would  be  present. 

I  very  gladly  assented  to  his  proposal,  thinking 
that  where  all  the  beauty  of  the  city  was  gathered 
together,  rny  beautiful  Georgians  could  not  be 
absent. 

Mr.  Worhoss  proposed  that  we  should  sit  in  the 
pit,  as  it  was  decidedly  respectable,  although  not 
as  genteel  as  the  boxes.  Of  course,  I  made  no 
objections  ;  and  when  we  reached  the  entrance,  I 
stopped  short,  expecting  that  he  would  procure  the 
tickets,  as  Mr.  Lummucks  had  done,  when  he  pave 
me  an  invitation  to  go  to  the  theatre  with  him. 
But  Mr.  Worhoss  only  pointed  to  a  little  round 
hole  in  the  partition,  and  observed  that  that  was 
the  place  where  they  took  the  money  for  the 
tickets. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  Ill 

"  Is  it  indeed  ?"  I  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss,  "  and  you  had  bet 
ter  get  a  couple  of  tickets  before  they  begin  to 
crowd  about  the  doors." 

"  O,  ah,"  I  said,  feeling  very  foolish,  "  I  didn't 
think  of  that." 

"I  knew  you  didn't,"  replied  Mr.  Worhoss, 
"  and  that  is  the  very  reason  why  I  reminded  you 
of  it." 

According  to  the  delicate  suggestion  of  my  new 
friend,  I  bought  two  tickets,  and  we  entered  the 
pit  about  half  an  hour  before  the  performances 
commenced,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  ob 
serve  all  the  beauties  as  they  took  their  seats  in 
the  boxes.  I  watched  them  very  narrowly,  hoping 
to  discover  my  beautiful  Georgiana  among  them, 
but  I  was  disappointed  ;  she  did  not  come.  It  was 
some  consolation,  however,  to  me,  to  know  that 
her  ears  would  not  be  offended  by  the  rude  and 
ribald  language  of  the  people  in  the  pit.  They 
were  a  rough  set.  I  thought  that  the  respectabi 
lity  of  the  pit  was  not  quite  so  decided  as  Mr. 
Worhoss  had  intimated  ;  but  he  remarked,  that 
there  was  an  unusual  number  of  butcher  boys  pre 
sent,  who  were  always  a  great  annoyance  to  the 
lovers  of  the  legitimate  drama,  by  their  eating  of 
roasted  pea  nuts,  and  encoring  all  the  songs. 


1J2  HARRY    FRANCO, 

I  forget  the  name  of  the  sterling  comedy  which 
was  played,  but  it  was  nil  about  a  wild  young  fel 
low,  who.  ran  away  with  a  beautiful  young  lady, 
whom  he  succeeded  in  marrying  in  spite  of  the 
exertions  of  her  old  guardian  to  prevent  him.  I 
was  delighted  with  the  plot,  and  thought  that  the 
moral  was  most  excellent.  After  the  comedy,  Mr. 
\Vorhoss,  who  appeared  to  know  every  body  in 
the  Theatre,  told  me  not  only  the  names,  but  the 
personal  histories  of  a  good  many  of  the  audience. 
Amongst  the  rest,  he  pointed  out  to  mean  elderly 
gentleman,  with  a  good  humored  broad  counte-' 
nance,  a  high  nose,  and  a  pair  of  twinkling'  black 
eyes.  "  That  gentleman,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss,  "  is 
Major  Rigmaroll,  the  editor  ;  he  has  written  criti 
cisms  about  the  stage  for  the  last  thirty  years.  I 
know  him  all  to  pieces.  He  is  goinu  to  publish  a 
book  about  Shakspeare,  and  he  has  already  pub 
lished  one,  in  which  he  proves  as  plain  as  the  nose 
on  his  face,  which  you  see  is  plain  enough,  that  the 
American  Indians  are  descended  from  Shem,  Ham, 
or  Japheth,  I  forget  which;  he  claims  relationship, 
by  the  way,  with  one  of  them  himself." 

"Perhaps."  I  said,  "he  wants  to  lay  claim  to 
some  Indian   lands,  on    the  score  of  family  con- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  113 

"  Upon  my  soul  I  believe  he  has  done  so  al 
ready,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss. 

"  He  must  be  a  very  learned  man,"  I  said,  "  to 
be  able  to  trace  the  origin  of  a  people  who  are 
themselves  ignorant  of  their  own  descent." 

"I  guess  he  is  learned,"  replied  Mr.  Warhoss  ; 
"he  knows  Josephus  Millerius  by  heart.  But 
look,  see  what  a  long  glass  he  has  got  in  his 
hand  ;  he  has  come  here  on  purpose  to  criticise 
the  new  danscusc" 

In  a  few  minutes  the  stage  bell  rung;  the  musi 
cians  in  the  orchestra  began  to  play.  "  Hats 
ofT,"  cried  the  people  in  the  pit.  Up  went  the 
green  curtain,  and  disclosed  a  scene  representing 
a  forest  of  trees  growing  out  of  a  board  floor,  and 
in  bounced  a  fat  woman,  who,  as  soon  as  she  got 
to  the  centre  of  the  stage,  elevated  one  foot  to  a 
horizontal  position,  and  whirled  round  on  the 
other  like  a  top.  I  must  confess  I  was  shocked 
beyond  measure,  for  I  had  some  how  or  other  im 
bibed  an  idea  that  an  opera  dancer  was  a  light 
and  gentle  little  creature,  who  tripped  and  bound 
ed  before  your  vision  in  graceful  movements, 
like  a  sprite  ;  but  nothing  could  be  more  unlike 
the  reality,  for  here  was  a  full  grown  woman 
throwing  about  her  legs  in  all  manner  of  ungain- 
10* 


114  HARRY   FRANCO, 

\y  attitudes,  and  with  such  an  indecent  scantiness 
of  clothing  as  to  fairly  make  me  blush. 

But  my  ideas  on  this  subject,  I  must  acknow 
ledge,  differed  very  much  from  those  of  Mr.  Wor 
hoss,  for  he  declared  she  was  a  magnificent  dan 
cer,  and  he  said,  that,  after  witnessing  such  an  ex 
hibition,  it  would  be  a  down  right  bore  to  sit 
through  the  farce.  As  I  agreed  with  him  in  his 
last  opinion,  we  came  out  of  the  theatre,  and  I 
was  glad  to  get  into  the  open  air  again.  Mr. 
Worhoss  proposed  taking  something  to  prevent 
our  taking  cold,  and  I  followed  him  into  a  showy 
bar-room,  next  door  to  the  theatre.  He  called 
for  two  glasses  of  port  wine  sangaree,  and  after 
he  had  emptied  his  tumbler,  he  appeared  to  be 
deeply  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  a  hunt 
ing  piece  which  hung  opposite  to  the  bar.  As 
there  were  a  good  many  young  men  standing 
around,  and  the  bar-keeper  seemed  to  be  waiting 
for  the  pay  for  the  sangarees,  I  threw  down  a 
shilling,  upon  which  Mr.  Worhoss  turned  sudden 
ly  round,  and  putting  his  hand  into  his  pocket, 
exclaimed,  "  you  don't  say  you  have  paid  ?" 

4 'Yes  I  have,"  T  replied. 

"  Well,  that  is  too  bad  ;  come,  let  us  go,n  said 
Mr.  Worhoss. 

"  Now,  sir,"  said  Mr.    Worhoss,  "  let  us  have 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  115 

some  oysters,  and  then  we   shall   be   prepared  to 
finish  the  evening." 

I  observed  that  I  was  not  in  the  least  hungry. 

"  That  is  nothing,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss  ;  "  peo 
ple  don't  eat  oysters  because  they  are  hungry, 
any  more  than  they  drink  wine  because  they  are 
thirsty." 

I  did  not  want  to  show  my  ignorance,  so  I 
made  no  further  objections,  but  followed  Mr.  Wor 
hoss  down  a  steep  pair  of  stone  steps  into  a  cel 
lar,  which  was  brilliantly  lighted  up  with  gas 
lights,  and  we  took  our  seats  in  a  little  box  just 
big  enough  to  hold  two  persons.  The  front  of 
it  was  enclosed  by  a  red  rnoreen  curtain,  behind 
which  a  man's  head  obtruded  itself  as  soon  as  we 
entered,  and  ejaculated,  "  stewf" 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  that,"  I  asked,  star 
ing  at  the  head. 

"  Stew?"  ejaculated  the  head  again. 

"  He  wants  to  know  if  you  want  a  stew,"  said 
Mr.  Worhoss. 

But  I  did  not  know  whether  I  wanted  a  stew  or 
not.  So  I  made  no  reply,  and  the  man  exclaim 
ed  once  more,  "stew?" 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss,  "  none  of  your  stews. 
Give  us  two  half  dozens  fried,  and  whilst  they 


116  HARRY   FRANCO, 

are  cooking,  two  half  dozens  of  raw  ones  in  the 
shell,  and  a  lemon." 

The  head  disappeared,  and  very  soon  returned 
with  the  raw  ones,  which  were  large  and  deli 
cious.  Although  I  was  not  hungry,  I  succeeded 
in  swallowing  half  a  dozen  without  any  diffi 
culty. 

"  I  suppose  you  don't  often  drink  anything?" 
remarked  Mr.  Worhoss,  in  an  inquiring  tone. 

"Not  often,"  I  replied. 

"  Neither  do  I,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss,  "  but  a 
glass  of  brandy  and  water  is  indispensable  with 
oysters.  Shall  I  order  a  couple  of  glasses  ? " 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied,  and  the  brandy  and 
water  was  brought. 

In  the  next  box  were  two  young  men  regaling 
themselves  with  a  bowl  of  oyster  soup.  From 
the  sound  of  their  voices  I  thought  they  were  ve 
ry  young.  As  they  talked  very  loud,  I  could  not 
avoid  hearing  their  conversation. 

11 1  say,  Nick,"  says  one,  "how  much  does  your 
old  man  allow  you  per  week  ?" 

"  Only  a  dollar,"  replied  the  other. 

"Only  a  dollar!  what  a  mean  old  skunk  he 
must  be !" 

"  Isn't  he,  proper?  I'm  blistered  if  I  aint  asha 
med  of  him.  But  I  tell  you  how  I  manage  it. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  117 

When  I  want  money,  I  go  to  the  old  woman  and 
tell  her  I  want  to  subscribe  to  the  Missionary  So 
ciety,  and  she  always  forks  out." 

"  Ha,  ha,  that  is  first  rate.  But  you  know  I 
haint  got  no  mother,  so  I  can't  do  that,  of  course. 
But  I  will  tell  you  how  I  work  it;  when  I  want 
money,  I  go  down  to  the  store  and  get  a  new 
suit  of  clothes,  and  then  go  and  pawn  them  in 
Chatham  street." 

"  You  do  ?  Well  I'm  blest  if  that  aint  capi 
tal.  I  mean  to  try  that  myself.  But  hurry  and 
eat  up  your  soup,  or  we  shall  miss  the  after 
piece." 

"  YVhat,  aint  you  going  to  have  some  pie?" 

*'  No,  I  never  eats  pastry." 

"Then  let  us  have  some  brandy." 

When  these  interesting  young  gentlemen  were 
gone,  I  remarked  to  Mr.  Worhoss  that  I  didn't 
like  the  cellar  at  all,  it  was  so  close  and  confi 
ned. 

"Not  like  it,"  he  exclaimed;  "why,  oysters 
would  not  be  oysters  if  they  were  not  eaten  in 
a  cellar.  Don't  you  know  there  is  an  eternal 
fitness  about  every  thing,  but  particularly  about 
eating.  The  luxury  of  a  dish  does  not  consist  so 
much  in  its  material,  as  in  the  place  and  manner 
in  which  it  is  served.  A  bowl  of  greasy  soup, 


118  HARRY    FRANCO, 

for  instance,  with  kernels  of  pimento  floating  in 
it,  may  be  eaten  in  such  a  place  as  this  with  great 
gusto  ;  but  if  it  were  placed  before  you  at  a  regu 
lar  dinner  table,  it  would  cause  a  rebellion  in 
your  bread-bearer.  And  what  man,  in  his  senses, 
would  sit  down  to  a  table  so  narrow  that  his  knees 
interlocked  with  his  neighbor's  opposite,  in  any 
place  but  an  oyster  cellar.  But  there  is  one  ex 
ception  to  the  eternal  fitness  of  things.  Fried 
oysters  are  fitting  on  all  occasions  and  in  all  pla 
ces." 

The  fried  ones  were  now  brought,  and  Mr. 
Worhoss  called  for  more  cold  slaw,  and  two  more 
glasses  of  brandy,  and  during  the  next  quarter  of 
an  hour  he  did  noi  speak  a  word.  When  we  had 
finished  our  oysters,  he  drew  a  long  breath,  and 
we  rose  up  to-go,  and  instead  of  going  up  to  the 
bar, to  pay,  he  took  up  a  newspaper,  and  pored 
over  it  as  earnestly  as  though  he  was  reading  it 
for  a  task.  The  bar-keeper  looked  at  me  very 
hard,  and  as  Mr.  Worhoss  was  so  intensely  inte 
rested  in  the  paper  he  wTas  reading,  I  could  not  do 
less  than  offer  a  bill  in  payment  for  the  oysters  and 
brandy.  After  I  had  received  my  change,  he 
threw  down  his  newspaper,  and  walked  up  to  the 
bar  with  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  but  the  bar-keep 
er  told  him  the  oysters  were  paid  for, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  119 

"  Franco,"  says  Mr.  Worhoss,  putting  on  a  ve 
ry  stern  look,  "  don't  do  that  again." 

"No,  1  won't,  I  assure  you,"  I  replied. 

ik  If  you  do  you  will  oflend  me,"  he  replied. 

And  so  we  ascended  into  the  upper  world 
again. 

"  It  has  just  occurred  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Wor 
hoss,  when  he  had  reached  the  pavement,  **  that 
to-night  is  soiree  night  at  No.  8.  We  will  go  there 
if  you  have  no  objection  ;  they  will  admit  me  be 
cause  [  am  a  volunteer,  and  they  will  not  object 
to  you  because  you  are  a  stranger." 

I  told  Mr.  Worhoss  1  was  entirely  at  his  dispo 
sal,  and  he  might  lead  me  wherever  he  liked. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  prefer  to  go  to  a  musical 
party  at  the  Shades/'  he  said. 

"  Which  will  cost  the  most?"  I  inquired  ;  "  the 
Shades  or  the  soiree." 

"  O,  the  Shades,  of  course,"  he  said  ;  "  it  will 
cost  nothing  at  the  soiree." 

"  Then  I  think  I  should  a  little  prefer  the  soiree," 
I  said. 

*'  That  is  a  bright  idea,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss, 
"  so  come  along." 

We  walked  down  Broadway  a  short  distance, 
and  then  turned  into  a  dimly  lighted  street,  where 
there  appeared  to  be  no  dwelling  houses,  and  the 


120  HARRY    FRANCO, 

side  walks  were  lumbered  up  with  bales  and  boxes. 
We  had  not  travelled  far  before _we  came  to  a  very 
small  house,  jammed  in  between  two  very  high 
warehouses,  with  large  folding  doors,  painted  in 
fancy  colors,  and  gilt  block  letters  over  the  en 
trance,  indicating  that  it  was  the  Engine  Company 
No.  8.  1  thought  it  was  a  very  strange  place  for 
a  soiree,  but  I  said  nothing,  and  Mr.  Worhoss  took 
a  small  key  out  of  his  pocket,  and  opened  the  door, 
and  I  followed  him  through  a  dark  and  narrow 
passage,  up  a  pair  of  steep  steps,  wondering  where 
in  the  world  he  was  leading  me,  when  suddenly  he 
opened  a  door,  and  I  found  myself  ushered  into  a 
brilliantly  lighted  room,  with  a  long  table  in  the 
centre,  around  which  were  seated  fifteen  or  twenty 
young  men;  they  were  all  dressed  in  drab  jackets 
and  trowsers,  and  red  shirts,  in  the  bosoms  of 
which  was  the  figure  8,  embroidered  with  white 
tape.  At  one  end  of  the  table,  seated  in  an  arm 
chair,  which  was  elevated  above  the  others,  I 
immediately  discovered  the  little  curly  headed 
captain,  with  steel  spectacles,  who  had  pulled 
me  out  of  bed  the  night  before.  The  room 
elegantly  furnished,  and  every  thing  in  it 
a  strong  contrast  to  the  rough  dresses  of  the  c 
pany.  The  chairs  were  of  mahogany,  with 
figure  8  carved  in  their  backs ;  the  floor  was  car 


illed 
was 

:om- 
i  the 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  121 

peted,  and  the  walls  were  hung  round  with  pictures 
in  gorgeous  gilt  frames.  One  of  the  pictures  re 
presented  the  apotheosis  of  a  chief  engineer, 
whose  name  I  have  forgot. 

The  little  captain  in  the  chair  requested  us  to  be 
seated,  but  remarked  that  it  was  against  the  rules 
of  the  company  to  allow  any  but  members  to  be 
present  at  a  soiree.  I  put  my  hand  upon  the  han 
dle  of  the  door  to  retire,  but  the  little  captain  beg 
ged  that  I  would  remain  for  his  sake,  and  I  hung 
up  my  hat  among  the  leather  caps,  and  took  a  seat 
at  the  table  by  Mr.  Worhoss. 

"  That  is  just  the  way,"  muttered  a  sallow  look 
ing  member,  "  we  make  laws  and  hang  them  up 
in  gilt  frames,  and  then  we  obey  them  —  if  we 
please." 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  chairman,  "  it  must  be  a 
very  bad  community  where  they  have  not  the  grace 
to  make  good  laws,  for  nothing  can  be  easier  than 
to  pass  virtuous  resolutions  ;  and  any  society  or 
company,  that  neglects  to  do  that,  must  be  in  a 
very  bad  way.  That  I  take  to  be  an  axiom,  to' 
say  the  least  of  it."  Saying  which,  the  little  chair 
man  took  off  his  glasses,  rubbed  them  with  his 
pocket  handkerchief,  and  put  them  on  again,  and 
looked  as  though  he  was  determined  to  frown  down 

all  opposition. 

VOL.  i.  11 


122  HARRY  FRANCO, 

But  the  discontented  member  went  on  growl 
ing  and  grumbling,  utterly  regardless  of  the 
chairman's  axiom  and  his  severe  frowns. 

"  That  is  the  very  thing  that  I  find  fault  with," 
he  said;  "  we  pronounce  our  own  condemnation  by 
making  laws  which  we  have  not  the  virtue  to  ob 
serve.  It  is  just  the  way  with  us  as  a  nation  ;  our 
fathers  were  willing  to  stake  their  lives,  their  for 
tunes,  and  their  sacred  honors,  to  maintain  the  as 
sertion  that  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal,  while 
at  the  same  time  they  held  one  quarter  part  of  the 
population  of  their  country  in  bondage." 

"  Fine  him,  fine  him,"  cried  a  dozen  voices,  "  he 
is  talking  politics." 

"  I  won't  be  fined,"  said  the  grumbling  member; 
"  I  am  only  speaking  the  truth,  and  that  is  not  po 
litics,  no  how  you  can  fix  it." 

"You  must  be  fined,"  said  another,  "for  you 
are  talking  religion." 

"  I  am  not  talking  religion,"  said  the  grumbler; 
"  I  am  only  speaking  my  sentiments.  I  appeal  to 
the  chair." 

"  There  is  no  religion  in  your  sentiments,  I  will 
swear,"  said  the  chairman.  "  But  you  shall  be 
fined  and  turned  out  too,  for  you  have  been  talk 
ing  abolition,  and  that  is  worse  than  either  politics 
or  religion." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  123 

"  Turn  him  out,  turn  him  out,"  they  all  ex 
claimed,  starting  upon  their  feet. 

"  I  won't  be  turned  out,"  said  the  refractory 
member,  putting  himself  in  a  position  of  defence  ; 
"  Let  not  a  soul  of  you  dare  to  put  a  finger  on 
me." 

But  firemen  dare  do  any  thing,  and  the  aboli 
tionist  was  seized  and  hustled  down  stairs,  and  into 
the  street,  in  spite  of  all  his  threats  and  struggles. 
Order  was  very  soon  restored,  and  the  chairman 
being  called  on  for  a  song,  he  sang  the  following, 
which  he  said  was  his  own  composition,  and  we  all 
joined  in  the  chorus  : 


When  years  twice  as  many  as  o'er  me  have  flown, 

Shall  have  dropped  from  their  pinions  more  sorrows  and  cares, 

And  I'm  left  to  bear  onward  the  burthen  alone, 

Whose  weight  now  a  lov'd  one  endearingly  shares. 
Fond  memory  then,  with  her  pencil  of  light, 
Shall  depict  in  bright  colors  the  joys  of  this  night. 

When  health  shall  desert  me,  when  friends  shall  depart, 
When  wealth  shall  have  open'd  his  pinions  and  flown; 

When  love,  even  love,  shall  have  fled  from  my  heart, 
Then  friendship  shall  cling  to  me  still,  though  alone. 
And  memory  then,  with  her  pencil  of  light, 
Shall  depict  in  bright  colors  the  joys  of  this  night. 

When  death,  even  death,  shall  approach  like  a  friend, 

And  I  yield  myself  up  to  his  chilling  embrace  ; 
With  a  hope  of  hereafter,  though  here  all  shall  end, 


124  HARRY    FRANCO, 

My  last  effort  shall  be  to  help  memory  trace, 
The  forms  of  my  friends  with  her  pencil  of  light, 
As  she  paints  in  warm  colors  the  joys  of  this  night. 

All  the  rest  of  the  company  either  sang  a  song  or 
told  a  story,  as  they  were  called  upon.  And  then 
the  little  captain  was  called  upon  to  relate  how  he 
got  stuck  upon  the  gable  end  of  an  old  Dutch 
house,  down  in  Coenties  slip,  one  winter  night,  at 
the  time  of  the  great  fire,  by  the  seat  of  his  trow- 
sers  freezing  to  the  ridge  pole  ;  and  how  all  the 
engines  played  upon  him  two  or  three  hours  with 
out  any  body  discovering  his  perilous  situation, 
and  how  it  took  two  or  three  kettles  of  hot  boiling 
water  to  make  Jack  Frost  relieve  his  hold  of  him. 

This  he  did  with  surprising  exactness,  as  Mr. 
Worhoss  observed,  considering  he  had  told  it  so 
many  times  before  ;  for  men,  he  said,  were  apt  to 
forget  the  particulars  of  a  story  after  having  re 
peated  it  two  or  three  hundred  times. 

The  captain  appeared  gratified  by  the  compli 
ment  which  Mr.  Worhoss  paid  to  his  memory, 
and  shook  his  head  despondingly,  and  said,  fires 
are  not  what  they  used  to  be,  and  intimated  that 
the  department  might  go  to  blazes,  for  all  he 
cared,  if  there  was  not  a  turn  out  soon. 

"  There  has  not  been  a  fire  worth  mentioning 
since  the  great  fire,"  said  one  of  the  members, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  125 

who  had  not  opened  his  lips  before,  and  who 
now  looked  up  and  down  the  table  very  saga 
ciously. 

"  That  is  a  fact,"  exclaimed  one  or  two  other 
members,  with  as  much  solemnity  as  though  it 
was  the  only  fact  that  had  been  uttered  for  the 
evening. 

"  Wasn't  that  a  first  rate  fire  ?"  said  another. 

"  I  guess  it  was,"  said  two  more  simultane 
ously. 

"Wasn't it?"  said  another. 

"  Didn't  Bill  Davis  do  something  that  night?" 
said  another. 

"Do  something?"  said  another  little  member; 
"  you  may  well  say  that ;  he  did  more  than  some 
thing  ;  he  saved  ever  so  many  children.  How 
many  was  it,  captain  ?" 

"  One  only,"  said  the  captain,  "  and  a  little 
one  too." 

"  Of  course  it  was  a  little  one,  or  it  could  'have 
saved  itself,"  said  another. 

"  How  did  it  happen,"  I  asked,  for  I  did  not 
care  to  remain  silent  any  longer. 

"  Is  Bill  Davis  present?"  asked  the  gentleman 
to  whom  I  addressed  myself. 

"No,  I  see  he  is  not,  so  I  will  tell  you  all  about 

11* 


126  HARRY   FRANCO, 

it.  You  have  heard  about  the  great  fire  in 
Chatham  street  of  course,"  he  said. 

"No,  sir,"  I  replied,  "I  never  heard  it  spoken 
of  before." 

"You  neverdid?"  he  exclaimed ;  "well,  wonders 
will  not  soon  cease,  I  do  believe.  I  thought  eve 
ry  body  had  heard  about  that ;  why,  it  was  on  that 
memorable  occasion  that  I  turned  out  for  the 
first  time  with  number  eight.  It  was  a  bitter  cold 
night  in  the  month  of  January,  and  when  I  went 
up  to  bed,  says  I,  Mrs.  Mix,  says  I,  I  should'nt 
think  strange  if  we  had  a  fire  to-night.  I  should'nt 
wonder,  says  she,  if  we  had,  for  I  have  always 
observed,  Mr.  Smith,  that  fires  happen  in  very 
cold  nights.  So  I  went  up  to  bed,  and  just  as  I 
was  in  the  very  act  of  undoing  my  stock,  bang 
goes  the  jail  bell,  so  down  I  went  and  ran  for 
dear  life,  and  reached  the  house  just  as  Bill  Da 
vis  was  taking  the  machine  out  all  alone  by  him 
self." 

" Isn't  that  Bill  Davis  a  smart  fellow?"  said 
one  of  the  members,  interrupting  the  story  tel 
ler. 

"Isn't  he?"  said  another. 

"I  guess  he  is,"  said  a  third. 

"  That  is  a  fact,"  said  another,  striking  the  ta 
ble  enthusiastically  with  his  fist. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  127 

The  important  truth  that  Bill  Davis  was  a 
smart  fellow  being  established,  the  story  teller  pro 
ceeded. 

"  Hallo,  Smith,  is  that  you,"  said  Bill ;  "  yes," 
says  I;  is  that  you,  Davis?  That  is  me, 
says  Bill,  and  so  we  never  exchanged  another 
word  until  we  reached  the  fire,  and  then,  says  he 
to  me,  I  tell  you  what,  Smith,  it  is  going  to  be  a 
rouser.  Isn't  it  ?  says  I,  and  then  at  it  we 
went.  Bill  took  the  pipe,  and  we  began  to  play, 
when  up  started  a  lady  ;  where  she  came  from, 
we  couldn't  tell ;  save  my  child,  she  screamed, 
save  rny  child.  Where  is  he,  says  Bill  ;  up 
there,  says  the  lady,  pointing  to  a  window  in  the 
third  story,  out  of  which  the  flames  were  bursting. 
Bless  my  heart,  says  Bill,  if  he  is  in  there,  he  is 
gone  already.  O  don't  say  he  is  gone,  says  she 
I  must  save  him,  he  is  my  only  boy;  and  with  that, 
she  steps  on  the  ladder  ;  I  can't  stand  that,  says 
Bill,  turning  to  me,  and  letting  go  the  pipe;  she 
is  the  ladiest  woman  lever  saw,  and  I  will  save 
the  child  or  lose  myself;  and  so  he  lifted  the  lady 
oft'  the  ladder,  and  up  he  went,  and  into  the  win 
dow  ;  we  never  expected  to  see  Bill  again ;  but 
I'm  blest  if  he  didn't  soon  make  his  appearance 
again,  with  the  child  in  his  arms  ;  and  down  he 
came,  and  put  it  into  its  mother's  lap,  who  was 


128  HARRY  FRANCO, 

sitting  on  the  curb  stone  wringing  her  hands,  and 
crying  enough  to  break  the  heart  of  a  loco  foco. 
Didn't  she  then  kneel  right  down  in  the  gutter, 
and  begin  to  invoke  blessings  on  to  Bill's  head. 
But,  Bill  says,  don't  bother  me,  good  woman, 
with  your  nonsense.  We  got  comfortable  lodg 
ings  for  her  that  night,  and  the  next  day  we  got 
up  a  complimentary  benefit-ball  for  her  and  the 
rest  of  the  sufferers,  and  I  wish  I  may  never  see 
another  house  afire  if  her  part  of  the  proceeds  of 
that  ball  didn't  set  her  up  in  an  elegant  thread  and 
needle  store  in  the  Bowery.  And  they  do  say 
Bill  means  to  marry  that  woman." 

"Ah,  that  was  something  like  a  fire,"  said  the 
little  captain,  shaking  his  head  mournfully;  "  that 
happened  before  the  hydrants  were  invented. 
You  don't  see  such  fires  now-a-days." 

One  of  the  company,  after  this,  favored  us  with 
the  following  song : 


Whose  fate  'twill  be  to  weep, 
Whose  fate  'twill  be  to  die, 
Before  our  feast  again  we  keep, 
You  neither  know,  nor  I. 

But  since  this  hour  hath  found  us, 

And  friendship  together  hath  bound  us, 

Pluck  memory's  flowers,  while  these  moments  are  ours, 

And  throw  her  gay  garland  around  us. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  129 

Whose  fate  'twill  be  to  prove 
Women  are  not  all  true, 
Is  known  to  one  above, 
But  not  to  me  nor  you. 

But  since  this  hour  hath  found  us, 
&c.  &c. 

Whose  fate  'twill  be  to  find 
How  weak  is  friendship's  tie, 
We  do  not  know,  but  may  it  bind 
Most  firmly  you  and  I. 

But  since  this  hour  hath  found  us, 
&c.  &c. 

Whose  fate  will 't  be  to  know 
The  griefs  which  spring  from  wine, 
To  taste  the  dregs  of  human  wo, 
May 't  be  nor  yours  nor  mine. 
But  since  this  hour  hath  found  us, 
&c.  &c. 

The  captain  declared  the  song  to  be  so  deci 
dedly  sentimental  that  he  proposed  a  turn  out  and 
a  race  with  the  machine,  to  work  off  its  de 
pressing  effects.  The  proposal  was  received  with 
general  approbation  ;  but  there  being  nothing  on 
fire  just  at  that  moment,  they  requested  Mr.  Wor- 
hoss  to  go  up  to  the  head  of  the  street  and  give 
an  alarm.  I-  thought  it  was  a  very  strange  pro 
position,  but  he  considered  it  a  very  good  joke, 
and  agreed  to  do  as  he  was  requested.  So  the 
soiree  broke  up,  and  we  all  repaired  to  the  en 
gine  house,  the  members  in  high  glee,  and  the 


130  HARRY    FRANCO, 

little  captain  full  of  importance.  The  prepara-* 
tions  for  rolling  out  were  no  sooner  completed, 
than  we  heard  the  cry  of  "fire!  fire!  fire!" 
The  doors  of  the  engine  house  were  immediately 
thrown  open,  and  away  we  started,  dragging  the 
engine  after  us  like  horses,  for  I  had  volunteered 
my  services,  expecting  to  see  some  fine  sport. 
Two  ragged  little  boys  ran  on  ahead  with  flaming 
torches,  and  another  followed  in  the  rear  with  a 
blue  signal  lantern.  The  little  captain  made  as 
much  noise  as  he  possibly  could  with  his  speaking 
trumpet,  shouting  out,  "  pull  away,  boys,  pull 
away,  boys,"  with  as  much  earnestness  as  though 
half  the  city  had  been  on  fire.  We  had  not  rat 
tled  over  the  pavements  long,  nor  far,  before  the 
church  bells  began  to  ring,  and  other  engines  and 
hose  carts  began  to  dash  up  Broadway,  thunder 
ing  over  the  pavements,  and  adding  to  the  din 
and  confusion.  But  I  got  out  of  breath  very 
soon,  and  was  compelled  to  let  go  the  drag  rope. 
In  escaping  to  the  sidewalk,  I  came  very  near  be 
ing  crushed  beneath  the  wheels  of  a  hose  cart. 
The  lights  from  innumerable  torches  and  signal 
lanterns  was  flashing  and  flickering  on  every 
side,  lighting  up  the  faces  of  the  firemen  as  they 
hurried  past,  and  displaying  the  gorgeous  orna 
ments  of  the  engines  which  they  dragged  after  them. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  131 

It  was  a  picturesque  and  novel  sight  to  me,  and 
as  I  looked  on  to  the  confused  scene,  I  forgot  for 
a  time  that  it  was  all  a  farce,  and  that  all  the 
noise,  and  turmoil,  and  display,  was  caused  by 
half  a  dozen  thoughtless  young  fellows  wanting  to 
have  a  spree.  The  uproar  did  not  continue  a 
great  while,  for  as  soon  as  it  was  discovered  that 
there  was  no  fire,  the  bells  ceased  ringing,  and  the 
firemen  dragged  their  machines  slowly  back  to 
their  respective  engine  houses. 

As  I  returned  to  my  boarding  house,  I  could 
not  help  reflecting,  as  I  went,  on  the  many  false 
alarms  there  had  been  in  the  world,  calling  man 
kind  from  their  quiet  homes  to  march  like  fiends 
to  battle,  neither  knowing  whither  they  went,  nor 
for  what  reason  they  offered  up  their  own  or 
sacrificed  the  lives  of  others ;  and  accomplishing 
no  better  end  than  to  furnish  picturesque  subjects 
for  painters  and  poets. 


132  HARRY    FRANCO, 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Shows  the  benefit  of  studying  morals   at  the  theatre,  and  the 
difference  between  falling  in  love  on  the  stage  and  off. 

BEING  left  alone  the  next  morning  after  the 
night  of  adventures  related  in  the  last  chapter,  I 
had  abundant  time  to  ruminate  on  all  I  had  seen, 
as  well  as  to  form  new  plans  for  my  future  con 
duct.  But  the  moral  of  the  sterling  English 
comedy  which  I  had  seen,  took  so  strong  a  hold 
of  my  imagination,  I  could  think  of  nothing  else. 
I  could  not  but  fancy  myself  in  the  situation  of 
the  fine,  free-hearted,  thoughtless  young  fellow, 
who  ran  away  with  a  beautiful  young  heiress  from 
her  boarding  school,  and  then  cajoled  her  cross 
old  guardian  into  good  humor,  just  before  the 
curtain  fell,  by  a  witty  repartee.  Nothing  could 
be  more  palpable  than  the  moral  of  such  a  con 
clusion,  and  nothing  more  desirable  than  to  imi 
tate  such  a  proceeding.  I  found  no  difficulty  in 
comparing  myself  with  the  hair-brained  hero,  and 
the  ingenious  architect  of  airy  castles  lent  her 
ready  aid  to  help  transform  the  gentle  Georgiana 
DeLancey  into  the  heroine  of  the  comedy.  That 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  133 

she  was  rich  I  had  no  doubt ;  that  she  was  at  a 
boarding  school  I  knew,  for  a  silver  plate  on  the 
door  of  the  house  into  which  I  had  seen  her  enter, 
announced  that  fact  to  the  world  ;  that  she  loved 
me  was  not  to  be  cjuestioned  ;  I  had  travelled 
with  her  in  the  stage  coach ;  and  that  I  loved 
her,  every  fibre  in  my  body,  and  every  pulsation 
of  my  heart,  bore  witness.  Nothing  could  be 
plainer.  The  fates  had  very  obligingly  given  me 
possession  of  the  young  lady's  handkerchief,  as 
if  on  purpose  to  aflbrd  me  an  opportunity  of  seek 
ing  an  interview  with  her ;  and  to  neglect  such 
evident  advantages  would  be  to  tempt  fortune  ; 
something  1  could  not  well  aflbrd  to  do,  seeing 
that  all  my  hopes  rested  upon  her  caprices.  As 
I  thought  over  these  things,  and  revolved  in  my 
mind  the  ease  with  which  an  heiress  could  be  ob 
tained  and  her  guardian  mollified,  my  imagina 
tion  became  wrought  up  into  a  perfect  phrensy  of 
delight.  But  nothing  gave  me  half  so  much 
pleasure  as  the  thought  of  triumphing  over  my 
haughty  cousin,  and  of  giving  the  lie  to  his  pre 
diction. 

To  make  all  the  points  of  resemblance  to  my 
model  as  exact  as  possible,  I  went  to  a  clothing 
store  in  Maiden  Lane,  where  I  furnished  myself 

with  a  suit  of  clothes,  at  a  moment's  warning,  pre- 
VOL.  i.  12 


134  HARRY   FRANCO, 

cisely  like  his,  namely  :  a  claret  colored  frock 
coat,  a  pair  of  striped  pantaloons,  and  a  figured 
satin  vest.  It  took  nearly  all  the  money  I  had  in 
the  world  to  pay  for  them;  but  I  bore  in 
mind  the  valuable  casket  that  I  had  purchased  on 
speculation,  and  the  ten  dollars  which  Mr.  Wor- 
hoss  was  to  pay  me  when  he  got  paid  for  his  prize 
article.  But  I  should  not  have  hesitated  in  the 
purchase,  even  though  I  had  not  had  these  valua 
ble  reliances  to  fall  back  upon  in  case  of  need  ;  to 
have  done  so  would  have  been  quite  out  of  charac 
ter  with  my  original. 

Having  dressed  myself  in  my  new  clothes,  and 
made  a  pretty  liberal  use  of  a  bottle  of  cologne 
water  which  I  found  in  my  room,  I  liked  the  ap 
pearance  of  myself  so  well,  that  I  resolved  to  set 
off  without  any  delay,  and  call  on  Miss  De  Lan- 
cey,  under  the  pretence  of  returning  her  pocket 
handkerchief,  and  trust  to  the  kind  power  who 
takes  venturesome  young  fellows  under  her  charge, 
to  bring  matters  to  the  wished  for  conclusion. 

There  had  been  a  slight  shower  in  the  morn 
ing  ;  but  now  the  sky  was  clear  and  blue,  and  the 
sun  was  shining  bright  and  warm,  but  the  snowy 
white  awnings  stretched  across  the  side  walks 
gave  a  cool  and  delightful  shade.  The  activity 
and  bustle  which  I  encountered  as  I  made  my  way 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  135 

through  the  crowded  streets,  added  to  my  hilari 
ous  feelings,  and  as  I  emerged  from  a  bye  street 
into  Broadway,  they  were  still  more  excited  by 
the  lively  and  elegant  scene  which  that  famous 
promenade  presented,  and  I  pulled  up  my  shirt 
collar  and  mingled  in  the  throng  with  as  conse 
quential  an  air  as  I  could  assume,  and  probably 
with  as  light  a  heart  as  any  in  the  crowd.  When 
a  man's  happiness  is  based  upon  things  in  posses 
sion,  it  must,  of  necessity,  be  limited  in  extent  ; 
but  when  it  springs  from  his  hopes,  there  need  be 
no  limits  to  the  amount  of  it.  There  was,  there 
fore,  no  reason  why  I  should  not  be  perfectly  hap- 
p}',  for  I  had  nothing  but  my  hopes  to  build 
upon. 

Although  I  was  sufficiently  engrossed  with  a 
sense  of  my  own  importance,  I  could  not  avoid 
bestowing  a  glance,  as  I  sauntered  along,  upon 
the  numerous  groups  of  gayly  dressed  and  beau 
tiful  women  who  tripped  past  me,  chatting  and 
laughing,  and  showing  their  brilliant  white  teeth. 
Some  of  them  were  leading  by  the  hand  cherub- 
like*  children,  with  golden  locks  flowing  down 
their  graceful  shoulders.  Others  were  stepping 
in  or  out  of  elegant  carriages  at  the  doors  of  the 
fancy  stores,  while  the  liveried  servants,  with  gold 
bands  round  their  hats  and  white  gloves  on  their 


136  HARRY   FRANCO, 

hands,  stood,  either  holding  open  the  carriage 
doors,  or  leaning  idly  against  the  awning  posts. 
Neatly  dressed  young  gentlemen,  with  ebony 
sticks  in  their  hands,  and  a  tuft  of  hair  on  their  up 
per  lips,  made  a  part  of  the  crowd,  and  paced 
along  with  measured  step,  and  with  an  air  as  sol 
emn  and  important  as  though  the  sun  was  shining 
expressly  for  their  particular  pleasure  and  bene 
fit. 

What  with  the  attractions  of  the  shop  win 
dows,  the  beauty  of  the  women,  the  loveliness  of 
the  children,  and  the  odd  airs  of  the  men,  my  at 
tention  got  completely  diverted  from  myself,  and 
I  forgot  the  errand  on  which  I  was  bound,  until 
I  was  reminded  of  it  by  reaching  the  street  which 
led  to  Miss  Smith's  boarding  school.  My  heart 
fluttered,  and  the  blood  rushed  into  my  face,  as  I 
found  myself  so  near  the  end  of  my  journey  ;  but 
I  got  fresh  courage,  and  strengthened  my  nerves 
with  a  glass  of  wine  and  a  cracker  at  the  Inde 
pendent  Coffee  House,  and  then  walked  briskly 
on  until  I  reached  Miss  Smith's  establishment.  I 
felt  in  my  pocket  to  make  sure  that  the  handker 
chief  was  there,  and  then  ran  boldly  up  the  white 
marble  steps,  and  gave  the  beil  handle  a  pull. 
The  door  was  opened  by  a  stout  black  girl,  and 
J  asked  if  Miss  De  Lancey  was  at  home.  "  Walk 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  137 

into  the  parlor,"  said  the  girl,  "  and  I  will  call 
Miss  Smith."  I  did  walk  into  the  parlor,  where 
I  was  left  to  my  reflections  for  a  length  of  time, 
which  I  could  have  sworn  exceeded  an  hour,  had 
not  a  French  clock  on  the  mantel  piece  assured 
me  it  did  not  exceed  five  minutes.  The  parlor 
was  altogether  the  handsomest  room  I  had  ever 
seen,  and  besides  a  great  abundance  of  furniture, 
it  contained  a  good  many  curious  works  of  art, 
principally  composed  of  shells,  such  as  grottos  and 
temples,  vases  of  flowers,  and  card  racks  in  the 
shape  of  harps  set  off  with  blue  ribands;  there 
was  also  the  picture  of  a  young  lady  and  a  weep 
ing  willow,  looking  very  much  like  two  sis 
ters,  embroidered  on  white  satin,  and  hung  up  in 
a  highly  ornamented  gilt  frame ;  this  last  work 
of  art  was  executed  by  Miss  Isabella  Davis,  aged 
eleven  years.  Having  at  a  glance  observed  all 
these  things,  and  a  good  many  more,  I  began  to 
feel  very  uneasy,  and  I  had  just  made  up  my 
mind  to  steal  out  of  the  house  as  quietly  as  possi 
ble,  when  I  heard  a  light  step  on  the  stairs.  It  was 
light-  to  the  ear  only,  for  each  step  seemed  to 
strike  as  palpably  upon  my  heart  as  though  it 
had  been  trod  upon  ;  and  I  am  certain  if  I  had 
died  at  that  moment,  the  print  of  a  little  shoe 

would  have  been  distinctly  seen  there.     I  held  my 
12* 


138  HARRY  FRANCO, 

breath  with  apprehension,  but  tried  to  look  re 
markably  easy.  The  door  opened,  and  in  walk 
ed,  not  the  beautiful  Georgiana,  but  a  tall  lady, 
dressed  in  a  snuff  colored  silk  gown  and  a  tur 
ban  of  fearful  dimensions.  It  was  no  less  a  per 
son  than  Miss  Smith  herself.  I  made  a  low  bow, 
and  being  entirely  at  a  loss  for  a  remark,  waited 
for  Miss  Smith  to  speak. 

"  Which  of  the  young  ladies    did  you  wish  to 
see  f"  asked  Miss  Smith. 

"  I  called  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  Miss  De  Lan- 
cey,"  I  replied,  blushing  very  red. 

"  Have  you  a  letter  from  her  guardian  ?"  inqui 
red  Miss  Smith. 

"  Not  exactly  a  letter,"  I  replied. 
"  Only  a  note,  then,  I  suppose,"  remarked  Miss 
Smith. 

"I  believe  not,"  I  replied,  feeling  in  my  pock 
et  for  the  handkerchief. 

"Perhaps,"  said  Miss  Smith,  "you  are  not 
aware,  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  rules  of  my  estab 
lishment  to  allow  any  young  lady  under  my 
charge  to  see  a  gentleman  without  the  permission 
of  her  parents  or  guardian." 

"  Indeed  I  was  not,"  I  replied,  drawing  a  long 
breath. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  139 

"  I  must  then  inform  you  that  such  is  the  case," 
replied  Miss  Smith,  with  cold  dignity. 

"  Ah,  it  is  very  unfortunate  that  I  did  not  know 
that  before,"  I  said,  as  the  recollection  of  the  cost 
of  my  new  clothes  flashed  across  my  mind. 

"  Pray,  could  I  have  the  liberty  of  addressing 
a  few  lines  to  Miss  De  Lancey  ?" 

"  By  all  means,"  replied  Miss  Smith,  "  provid 
ed  you  allow  me  to  read  them  first." 

I  thanked  Miss  Smith  for  her  kindness,  made 
her  another  low  bow,  and  wished  her  a  good  morn 
ing.  As  I  turned  to  go  out  of  the  hall,  I  discover 
ed  there  were  a  score  of  bright  eyes  peeping  over 
the  bannister  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  not 
doubting  that  the  brightest  and  bluest  pair  among 
them  belonged  to  the  beautiful  Georgiana,  I  con 
soled  myself  with  the  reflection,  that  she  would  re 
cognise  me,  and  give  me  credit  for  trying  to  see 
her.  I  could  not  prevail  upon  myself  to  give  up 
her  pocket  handkerchief;  for  now  that  I  had  been 
disappointed  in  my  attempt  at  an  interview  with 
her,  it  was  more  precious  than  ever  in  my  sight, 
and  I  resolved  henceforth,  that  I  would  wear  it 
next  to  my  heart. 

I  could  no  longer  compare  myself  with  the  lucky 
scapegrace  in  the  comedy,  and  nothing  could 
have  been  more  undramatic  than  my  interview 


140  HARRY   FRANCO, 

with  Miss  Smith.  I  felt  unhappy  and  dispirited, 
and  I  made  my  way  back  to  my  boarding  house, 
through  lanes  and  bye  streets,  avoiding  Broadway, 
with  its  gewgaws  and  crowds. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  141 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Is  full  of  disappointments,  and  ends  with  the  commencement  of 
a  new  career. 

MR.  WORHOSS  repeated  his  kindnesses  to  me  so 
often,  in  showing  me  the  lions,  as  he  called  it,  that 
I  was  soon  left  without  a  sixpence  in  my  pocket ; 
for  it  so  happened  that  I  was  always  left  to  pay 
all  the  expenses  incurred  for  drink  and  oysters,  for 
these  were  necessaries,  it  appeared,  which  could 
not  be  dispensed  with  on  any  occasion.  And  as 
he  had  not  yet  received  the  money  for  his  prize 
article,  I  had  no  other  resource  but  the  casket  and 
its  contents  ;  and  I  determined  to  avail  myself  of 
the  offer  of  Mr.  Isaacs,  who  had  promised  to  buy 
them  of  me  at  just  double  what  I  gave  for  them  ; 
so  I  took  the  casket  under  my  arm,  and  went  in 
pursuit  of  that  gentleman,  expecting  to  find  him  at 
the  auction  store  where  I  made  the  purchase.  But 
I  was  disappointed  in  not  finding  him  there.  I 
asked  the  auctioneer  if  he  could  inform  me  where 
Mr.  Isaacs  was  to  be  seen. 

"  Bless  your  innocent  heart,  my  friend,"  said 
the  auctioneer,  "  how  should  I  know  any  thing 
about  him  ?" 


142  HARRY    FRANCO, 

"  Why,  I  thought  he  was  a  friend  of  yours,"  I 
replied. 

"A  friend  of  mine,"  said  the  auctioneer  con 
temptuously,  "  why  I  never  seen  the  gentleman 
but  once  in  my  life,  and  I  probably  shall  never  see 
him  again." 

I  was  struck  aghast  at  this  intelligence,  for  all 
my  expectations  of  profit  were  founded  upon  Mr. 
Isaacs'  promise.     I  told  the  auctioneer  that  as  he 
had  not  promised  to  give  me  double  the  cost  of  the 
casket,  although  Mr.  Isaacs  had,  I  did  not  think  I 
could,  in  strict  justice,  demand  it  of  him,  notwith 
standing  he  had  sworn  that  it  was  worth  more  than 
three  times  the  money  that  I  gave  for  it ;  therefore, 
I  would  only  request  him  to  take  back  the  casket, 
and  return  me  the  money  that  I  gave  for  it,  as  it 
was  much  too  costly  an  article  for  me  to  keep. 

"  That  is  a  very  unmercantile  proposition, young 
man,"  said  the  auctioneer,  "  it  is  quite  out  of  the 
common  course  of  business.  I  couldn't  think  of 
doing  any  such  thing." 

"  Perhaps  it  may  not  be  strictly  according  to 
mercantile  usages,"  I  replied,  "  but  as  the  advan 
tage  will  all  be  on  your  side,  I  should  not  think 
you  would  refuse  my  offer." 

II  You  talk  exactly  like  a  book,  young  man,"  re 
plied  the  auctioneer,  "  but  it  would  never  do  for 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  143 

me  to  make  such  an  unmercantile  operation  ;  if  I 
should,  there  is  no  knowing  what  the  Board  of 
Trade  might  do  with  me  ;  they  would  haul  me  up 
to  Albany  right  off." 

"  Is  it  possible,"  I  asked,  "  that  the  rules  of 
trade  are  so  positive  ?" 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  sir,"  replied  the  auc 
tioneer  ;  "  the  Board  of  Trade  is  a  very  positive 
body  of  individuals  ;  look  how  that  respectable 
institution  used  up  the  Phenix,  down  there  in  Wall 
street,  just  because  it  conferred  a  favor  on  an  indi 
vidual  one  morning,  just  as  you  want  me  to  do  to 
you.  It  will  never  do  in  the  world.  But  I  will 
tell  you  what  I  can  do  for  you,  and  perhaps  it  will 
meet  your  views.  I  will  take  the  casket,  and  sell 
it  for  you  to-morrow.  I  expect  a  very  good  com 
pany,  as  I  have  advertised  some  splendid  watches." 

Being  unwilling  to  take  the  casket  back  again, 
I  thanked  the  auctioneer,  and  told  him  he  might 
sell  it  the  next  day,  provided  he  could  get  what  it 
cost  me. 

"  You  had  better  not  limit  it,  young  man,"  said 
the  auctioneer,  "  it  would  be  a  pity  to  lose  the  sale 
of  it  for  the  sake  of  a  shilling  or  such  a  matter." 

"Well,  then,"  I  replied,  "  sell  it  for  what  it 
will  bring  ;  but  if  Mr.  Isaacs  should  come  in, 


144  HARRY    FRANCO, 

please  ask  him  to  take  it  at  the  price  which  he  of 
fered." 

"  I  will  with  pleasure,  sir,"  said  the  auctioneer, 
"  but  I  think  it  is  extremely  improbable  whether 
he  comes." 

Heft  the  auctioneer's  store,  and  sauntered  about 
the  streets  in  a  very  unpleasant  state  of  mind,  for 
the  disappointment  of  not  seeing  Miss  DeLan- 
cey,  and  of  not  finding  Mr.  Isaacs,  added  to  the 
mortifying  reflection  that  I  had,  in  so  short  a 
space  of  time,  spent  the  little  money  that  my  father 
had  given  me,  made  me  very  unhappy.  I  was 
still  without  any  prospect  of  a  situation,  although 
Mr.  Worhoss  had  promised  to  procure  one  for 
me,  and  T  resolved  to  keep  closely  all  the  money 
that  I  might  receive  from  the  sale  of  my  casket. 

The  next  day  I  called  at  the  auction  store,  and 
was  told  that  my  casket  was  sold  for  five  dollars. 

The  auctioneer  reached  me  four  dollars  and  a 
half,  saying  that  his  commissions  were  half  a  dol 
lar. 

"Five  dollars!"  I  exclaimed  ;  "  you  mean  fif 
ty-five,  I  presume." 

"  No  I  don't,"  said  the  auctioneer,  "  I  mean 
five  dollars  ;  it  was  every  cent  the  casket  fetched  ; 
I  can  prove  it  by  my  book-keeper." 

I  grew  sick  at  the  intelligence.  "  Certainly  the 
silver  was  worth  more  than  that,"  I  said. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  145 

"  German  silver  is  not  very  valuable,"  replied 
the  auctioneer,  at  the  same  time  winking  to  a 
man  who  was  paying  a  bill.  "  Is  it,  mister  ?" 

"Not  very,"  replied  the  man;  "German  sil 
ver  is  something  like  German  philosophy,  not 
worth  much  when  you  come  to  use  it." 

"  Here  is  your  money,  young  man,"  said  the 
auctioneer,  reaching  me  four  dollars  and  a  half. 

"  I  won't  have  it,"  I  replied,  growing  angry 
at  the  insolence  of  the  auctioneer.  "You  have 
cheated  me  most  grossly  either  in  the  first  or  the 
last  sale." 

But  the  auctioneer,  instead  of  resenting  my  im 
putation  on  his  honesty,  only  laughed  and  picked 
his  teeth.  "Very  well,  young  man,"  he  said,  "  if 
you  don't  choose  to  take  the  money,  I  shall  be  ve 
ry  glad  to  keep  it  these  hard  times." 

"You  had  better  take  it,"  said  the  man  who 
had  given  his  opinion  about  German  philosophy. 
"It  will  be  the  only  satisfaction  you  can  ever  ob 
tain  ;  he  has  the  law  on  his  side." 

After  a  moment's  reflection  I  came  to  the  same 
conclusion,  and  I  took  the  money  and  put  it  in  rny 
pocket,  feeling  that  I  owed  my  disappointment  to 
my  own  credulity  and  avarice.  I  said  nothing 
farther  to  the  auctioneer,  but  as  I  was  going  out 

VOL.  i.  13 


144  HARRY    FRANCO, 

please  ask  him  to  take  it  at  the  price  which  he  of 
fered." 

"  I  will  with  pleasure,  sir,"  said  the  auctioneer, 
"  but  I  think  it  is  extremely  improbable  whether 
he  comes." 

Heft  the  auctioneer's  store,  and  sauntered  about 
the  streets  in  a  very  unpleasant  state  of  mind,  for 
the  disappointment  of  not  seeing  MissDeLan- 
cey,  and  of  not  finding  Mr.  Isaacs,  added  to  the 
mortifying  reflection  that  I  had,  in  so  short  a 
space  of  time,  spent  the  little  money  that  my  father 
had  given  me,  made  me  very  unhappy.  I  was 
still  without  any  prospect  of  a  situation,  although 
Mr.  Worhoss  had  promised  to  procure  one  for 
me,  and  T  resolved  to  keep  closely  all  the  money 
that  I  might  receive  from  the  sale  of  my  casket. 

The  next  day  I  called  at  the  auction  store,  and 
was  told  that  my  casket  was  sold  for  five  dollars. 

The  auctioneer  reached  rne  four  dollars  and  a 
half,  saying  that  his  commissions  were  half  a  dol 
lar. 

"Five  dollars!"  I  exclaimed  ;  "you  mean  fif 
ty-five,  I  presume." 

"  No  I  don't,"  said  the  auctioneer,  "  I  mean 
five  dollars  ;  it  was  every  cent  the  casket  fetched  ; 
I  can  prove  it  by  my  book-keeper." 

I  grew  sick  at  the  intelligence.  "  Certainly  the 
silver  was  worth  more  than  that,"  I  said. 


A  TALE  OP  THE  PANIC.  145 

"  German  silver  is  not  very  valuable,"  replied 
the  auctioneer,  at  the  same  time  winking  to  a 
man  who  was  paying  a  bill.  "  Is  it,  mister  ?" 

" Not  very,"  replied  the  man;  "  German  sil 
ver  is  something  like  German  philosophy,  not 
worth  much  when  you  come  to  use  it." 

"Here  is  your  money,  young  man,"  said  the 
auctioneer,  reaching  me  four  dollars  and  a  half. 

"  I  won't  have  it,"  I  replied,  growing  angry 
at  the  insolence  of  the  auctioneer.  "You  have 
cheated  me  most  grossly  either  in  the  first  or  the 
last  sale." 

But  the  auctioneer,  instead  of  resenting  my  im 
putation  on  his  honesty,  only  laughed  and  picked 
his  teeth.  "  Very  well,  young  man,"  he  said,  "  if 
you  don't  choose  to  take  the  money,  I  shall  be  ve 
ry  glad  to  keep  it  these  hard  times." 

"You  had  better  lake  it,"  said  the  man  who 
had  given  his  opinion  about  German  philosophy. 
"It  will  be  the  only  satisfaction  you  can  ever  ob 
tain;  he  has  the  law  on  his  side." 

After  a  moment's  reflection  I  came  to  the  same 
conclusion,  and  I  took  the  money  and  put  it  in  my 
pocket,  feeling  that  I  owed  my  disappointment  to 
my  own  credulity  and  avarice.  I  said  nothing 
farther  to  the  auctioneer,  but  as  I  was  going  out 

VOL.  i.  13 


146  HARRY    FRANCO, 

of  the  store,  I  happened  to  look  behind  a  green 
baize  curtain  at  the  end  of  the  counter,  and  there, 
to  my  great  astonishment,  I  saw  Mr.  Isaacs  him 
self,  scouring  a  watch  case.  It  was  well  both 
for  him  and  myself,  that  I  had  no  deadly  weapon 
in  my  hand,  for  I  felt  that  I  could  kill  him  on  the 
spot.  As  it  was,  I  said  nothing  to  him,  but  I 
gave  him  a  look  which  he  must  remember  till 
his  dying  day. 

The  sale  of  my  casket  was  a  bitter  disappoint 
ment  to  me,  and  when  I  reached  my  chamber  I 
could  not  refrain  from  tears.  Mr.  Worhoss  came 
in  while  I  was  crying,  and  asked  me  if  I  had 
heard  any  bad  news.  I  told  him  the  cause  of  my 
grief,  and  requested  him  to  return  me  the  money 
I  had  loaned  him,  as  I  wanted  it  to  pay  my  board 
with.  But  that  scrupulous  gentleman  said  that 
he  could  not  return  it  until  the  committee  of  lite 
rary  gentlemen  had  decided  about  his  prize  arti 
cle,  as  it  would  not  be  fulfilling  the  condition?  on 
which  he  borrowed  it,  if  he  should.  But  I  told 
him  if  he  would  return  me  the  five  dollars  I 
would  not  require  ten.  He  said,  however,  that 
his  principles  were  too  honorable  to  allow  him  to 
do  so,  and  that  he  could  not  think  of  paying  me 
less  than  he  agreed  to.  I  then  reminded  Mr. 
Worhoss  of  his  promise  to  procure  me  a  situation, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  147 

thinking,  of  course,  that  a  gentleman  who  was  so 
scrupulous  in  fulfilling  all  his  promises,  would 
like  to  be  reminded  of  any  that  he  had  forgot 
ten. 

"  That  is  very  true,"  said  Mr.  Worhoss,  "  there 
is  a  house  of  my  acquaintance  that  wants  a  young 
man  from  the  country,  and  I  will  give  you  their 
number,  and  then  you  can  make  your  own  ar 
rangements  with  them." 

"  What  kind  of  a  house  is  it  ?"  I  inquired. 

"  O,  a  first  rate  house,"  replied  Mr.  Warhoss, 
"  Stripes  &  Co. ;  they  do  a  splendid  domestic 
commission  business  in  Pine  street." 

My  feelings  were  so  elated  with  the  prospect  of 
employment,  that  I  told  Mr.  Worhoss  I  would  for 
give  him  the  debt  he  owed  me,  in  consideration  of 
his  kindness,  and  begged  him  to  give  me  the  ad 
dress  of  Stripes  &  Co.,  that  I  might  call  on 
them  without  delay.  He  took  a  newspaper  out  of 
his  pocket,  from  which  he  cut  an  advertisement, 
stating  that  Stripes  &  Co.  were  in  want  of  a 
clerk.  I  asked  him  if  I  should  make  use  of  his 
name,  and  he  said  I  might  if  I  chose,  but  he 
didn't  think  it  would  be  of  any  particular  benefit 
to  me,  as  they  didn't  know  him,  although  he  knew 
them  very  well.  So  1  started  immediately  for 
Pine  street,  hoping  to  make  a  favorable  impres- 


148  HARRY   FRANCO, 

sion  upon  Stripes  &  Co.,  but  I  was  so  agitated  by 
my  hopes  and  fears,  that,  when  I  got  to  their 
counting  room  I  could  scarcely  speak,  and  my 
agitation  was  not  at  all  soothed  by  meeting  five  or 
six  young  men  coming  out  as  I  went  in.  I  inqui 
red  for  Mr.  Stripes,  and  was  shown  into  a  little 
room  just  big  enough  to  contain  Mr.  Stripes  and 
the  desk  at  which  he  sat  writing.  I  held  my  hat 
in  my  hand,  and  in  a  trembling  voice,  asked  him 
if  he  was  in  want  of  a  clerk. 

"We  have  advertised  for  one,"  said  Mr. 
Stripes,  laying  down  his  pen,  and  looking  me  full 
in  the  face,  "  are  you  an  applicant?" 

I  replied  that  I  should  be  glad  to  obtain  the 
situation,  if  it  would  afford  me  a  living. 

"  What  do  you  think  you  could  live  upon  ?" 
asked  Mr.  Stripes. 

I  replied  that  I  was  a  stranger  in  the  city,  and 
consequently  ignorant  of  the  expenses  of  a  clerk, 
but  that  I  could,  no  doubt,  live  on  whatever  sala 
ry  he  might  pay  me. 

"  I  dare  say,"  said  Mr.  Stripes,  "  young  men 
can  live  very  cheap  when  they  are  so  inclined.  I 
used  to  live  on  a  shilling  a  day  when  I  first  came 
to  the  city.  Do  your  parents  live  in  the  coun 
try  ?" 

«  Yes,  sir." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  149 

"Are  they  wealthy  ?" 

"  Not  very  ;  indeed,  I  am  afraid  they  are  quite 
poor." 

"  Ah,  then  they  are  not  in  the  manufacturing 
line  ?" 

"  Not  much  ;  my  mother  used  to  make  all  my 
clothes." 

"  Indeed ;  did  she  make  those  you  have  got 
on!" 

"  No,  sir,  I  bought  these  in  Maiden  Lane." 

"Any  relations  living  in  the  city?" 

"  None,  sir,  that  I  know  of." 

"  Are  your  parents  pious  ?" 

"  I  dont  know,  indeed." 

"  Then  I  guess  they  are  not.  Are  you  pious 
yourself?" 

As  I  didn't  know  what  answer  to  make  to  this 
question,  I  only  blushed  and  remained  silent,  feel 
ing  sensible  that  I  looked  very  foolish. 

"  Would  you  like  to  distribute  tracts?"  con 
tinued  Mr.  Stripes. 

"  I  should  be  willing  to  do  any  thing  that  was 
not  dishonorable." 

"  What  did  you  say  your  name  was  ?" 

"Franco." 

"Franco,  hey,  what  is  your  first  name  ?" 

"  Harry." 

13* 


150  HARRY    FRANCO, 

"  Harry  Franco,  Harry  Franco,  it  seems  to 
me  I  have  heard  that  name  before.  Are  you  not 
the  abolitionist  ?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Are  you  not  mistaken  ?  I  am  pretty  certain 
I  saw  it  in  the  papers.  Are  you  a  colonization- 
ist  ?" 

"  I  dont  know  exactly  ;  I   believe  not." 

"I  don't  know  what  to  think  about  it.  I 
wouldn't  have  an  abolitionist  in  my  employ.  Can 
you  write  well?" 

"  Tolerably  ;  I  can  show  you  a  specimen." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  been  a  good  deal  to 
school  ?" 

"No,  sir,  but  very  little." 

"  Have  you  any  brothers?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  an  only  son." 

"Are  you,  indeed!  There  were  thirteen  of 
us ;  two  are  dead,  and  the  rest  are  all  doing  a  good 
business.  Are  you  acquainted  with  domestics  ?" 

"What,  servants?" 

"No,  no;  Ticks  and  Shirtings  and  bleached 
goods." 

"Not  at  all,  sir." 

"  Hem,  I  don't  think  we  shall  want  to  engage 
you  now  ;  we  have  had  applications  from  —  let 
me  see  how  many  —  I  will  foot  up  the  list :  six 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC. 


151 


hundred  and  eighty-three.  But  we  have  enga 
ged  a  young  man  who  is  to  come  in  the  morning. 
He  is  to  have  nothing  for  his  services  the  first 
year,  and  the  empty  boxes  the  second." 

I  was  completely  astounded  at  the  termination 
of  Mr.  Stripes'  catechism,  for  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  that  he  meant  to  employ  me,  from  the  mi 
nuteness  of  his  inquiries,  and  I  stood  looking  at 
him  without  moving,  thinking  I  had  certainly 
misunderstood  him. 

"That  will  do,"  said  Mr.  Stripes,  "I  have  no 
farther  inquiries  to  make;  we  have  engaged 
an  individual  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  our  office." 

"  Then  why  did  you  put  all  these  impertinent 
questions  to  me,"  I  said,  my  anger  getting  the 
better  of  my  discretion. 

"  Don't  be  saucy,  sir,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Stripes, 
turning  blue,  for  his  face  before  was  as  white  as  his 
bleached  goods,  "  or  I  will  send  you  to  the  police 
office." 

I  came  out  of  the  store  of  Stripes  &  Co.  with 
my  heart  in  my  throat ;  the  last  hope  on  which  I 
rested  was  knocked  from  under  my  feet,  and  the 
terrible  prophecy  of  my  cousin  seemed  about  to 
be  fulfilled.  His  words  sounded  in  my  ears,  and 
the  forms  of  my  heart-broken  mother  and  sister 
were  the  only  objects  that  presented  themselves  to 


152  HARRY   FRANCO, 

my  vision.  "  Alas  !  alas !"  I  exclaimed,  "  O  that 
the  earth  would  open  and  swallow  me  up."  But 
my  wish  was  unheeded,  and  I  continued  to  walk 
on  over  the  hard  bosom  of  the  earth,  if  the  paved 
streets  of  a  city  can  be  so  called,  until  I  found 
myself  at  the  foot  of  Pine  street,  in  sight  of  the 
East  River  and  the  shipping.  This  was  a  new 
scene  to  me,  for  since  the  morning  on  which  I 
landed  from  the  steamboat,  I  had  not  seen  the  wa 
ter.  The  life  and  bustle  and  novelty  of  every 
thing  about  me  soon  engrossed  my  attention,  and 
I  forgot  my  chagrin  and  disappointments ;  and  even 
the  sound  of  my  cousin's  hateful  voice  no  longer 
rang  in  my  ears ;  it  was  completely  drowned  in 
the  cheerful  "  ho,  cheerly !"  which  proceeded 
from  the  ships,  where  they  were  discharging  and 
taking  on  board  their  cargoes.  Every  thing  around 
was  full  of  liveliness  and  joy,  and  I  wondered  at 
the  stupidity  of  Mr.  Worhoss  in  taking  me  to 
walk  in  Broadway,  while  here  was  a  scene  so  full 
of  noble  sights.  The  sky  was  bright  and  blue, 
and  a  thousand  penons  and  signals,  and  the  flags 
of  many  nations,  floated  gracefully  upon  the  breeze. 
The  magnificent  proportions  of  the  ships,  with 
their  beautiful  figure-heads,  and  rich  gilding,  and 
bright  waists,  and  tall  taper  masts,  and  outstretch 
ed  spars,  filled  me  with  amazement ;  and  the 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  153 

countless  multitude  of  smaller  vessels,  their  cu 
rious  and  varying  shapes,  and  the  regular  confu 
sion  of  their  ropes  and  spars,  gave  me  no  less  as 
tonishment.  Perhaps  those  who  are  in  the  daily 
habit  of  seeing  sights  like  these,  may  think  it  ex 
travagant  in  me  to  speak  of  them  in  such  terms ; 
but  those  who  have  spent  their  lives  in  a  secluded 
village  will  remember  with  what  wondering  eyes 
they  first  looked  upon  the  crowded  wharves  of  a 
thronged  seaport  like  New  York  in  its  hey  day  of 
activity,  and  they  will  think  my  words  are  cold, 
and  my  descriptions  tame,  as  in  truth  they  appear 
to  me.  Since  that  day  I  have  seen  the  navies  of 
half  the  world,  and  the  crowds  of  merchant  ships 
which  fill  the  walled  docks  of  London  and  Liver 
pool,  with  their  flags  floating  heavily  in  the  murky 
atmosphere  of  those  smoky  cities  ;  and  I  have 
visited  most  of  the  seaports  worth  seeing  in  the 
old  world  and  in  the  nfew,  but  I  have  never  seen 
any,  for  brightness  and  beauty,  for  liveliness  and 
joy,  that  can  compare  with  New  York. 

As  I  sauntered  along  the  wharves,  I  thought  of 
Robinson  Crusoe,  and  Sinbad  the  Sailor,  and 
Christopher  Columbus,  and  Americus  Vespucius, 
and  all  of  a  sudden  it  struck  me  that  greater  things 
were  to  be  accomplished  on  the  ocean  than  upon 
the  land,  and  that  it  would  be  a  greater  triumph 


154  HARRY   FRANCO, 

if  I  could  achieve  a  fortune  in  a  foreign  land  than 
if  I  were  to  acquire  one  by  regular  drudgery  at 
home.  It  as  suddenly  occurred  to  me,  that  I  had 
heard  my  father  speak  of  a  relation  of  his,  whom 
he  used  to  call  Tom  Gunnell,  who  came  down  to 
New  York,  a  wild  youth  from  the  country,  and 
went  to  sea  in  one  of  my  father's  ships  previous 
to  the  embargo.  1  thought  that  by  this  time  he 
certainly  ought  to  be  captain  of  a  ship  at  least, 
and  I  determined  if  possible  to  find  him,  and  if  it 
should  prove  that  he  had  a  ship,  to  ask  him  to  take 
me  to  sea  with  him.  I  popped  into  the  first  gro 
cery  store  I  came  to,  and  took  up  the  morning 
paper  to  look  over  the  marine  list,  with  the  hope 
of  finding  the  name  of  Captain  Gunnell,  and  al 
most  the  first  advertisement  that  I  caught  sight  of 
was  the  "  Ship  Two  Marys,  Captain  T.  Gunnell, 
for  Buenos  Ayres  ;"  I  could  scarcely  believe  my 
eyes  at  first,  and  I  read  the  advertisement  over 
three  times  before  I  was  convinced  that  there  was 
no  deception  about  it.  This  was  a  piece  of  real 
good  luck.  I  thought  the  tide  of  fortune  had 
turned  in  my  favor,  and  I  took  heart  again  ;  but 
remembering  the  many  disappointments  I  had  en 
countered  already,  I  controlled  my  feelings,  and 
set  off  immediately  in  pursuit  of  Captain  Gun 
nell' s  ship,  determined  to  know,  before  I  went  back 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  155 

to  my  boarding-house,  whether  he  was  my  rela 
tion  or  not.  With  the  help  of  an  old  sailor,  who 
offered  his  services  in  consideration  of  a  glass  of 
gin,  I  found  the  Two  Marys.  She  was  a  smaller 
ship,  and  much  blacker  and  dirtier  looking  than 
those  which  had  attracted  my  attention  at  first ; 
she  had  neither  gilding  on  her  stern,  nor  a  var 
nished  waist,  nor  a  figure-head  ;  but  the  old  sailor 
who  had  assisted  me  in  finding  her,  observed  that 
she  was  a  "  good  wholesome  lump  of  a  barkey." 
Without  being  very  critical  in  my  observations,  I 
climbed  up  a  rope-ladder  at  her  side  and  jumped 
upon  deck.  A  stout  red-faced  man,  with  whiskers 
of  the  same  hue,  and  dressed  in  a  blue  coat  and  a 
white  marseilles  vest,  was  standing  under  an  awn 
ing  on  the  after  part  of  the  deck.  I  stepped  up 
to  him,  and  asked  him  if  Captain  Gunnell  was  on 
board. 

"  That  is  my  name,  sir,"  he  said. 

I  then  informed  the  captain  who  I  was,  upon 
which  he  lifted  his  hat  very  politely,  and  shook 
me  by  the  hand,  and  said  he  was  yery  happy  to 
seem  ;  told  me  I  was  welcome  on  board  the 
Two  Marys,  and  inquired  very  kindly  after  my 
father,  and  asked  me  how  many  sisters  I  had,  and 
whether  all  the  girls  were  married  up  in  the  coun 
try.  And  then  Captain  Gunnell  called  out  in  a 


156  HARRY   FRANCO, 

gruff  voice,  "  Steward  !"  But  no  steward  came, 
and  in  a  few  moments  he  called  again  still  more 
gruffly,  "  you  steward  !"  But  still  no  steward 
came,  and  then  Captain  Gunnell  called  "  Mr. 
Ruffin  !"  *'  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  answered  a  voice  in 
the  ship's  hold,  in  a  still  gruffer  tone  than  Cap 
tain  Gunnell's.  "  Mr.  Ruffin,"  said  the  Captain, 
"  send  that  black  rascal  to  me."  "  Ay,  a}T,  sir," 
answered  a  voice,  which  I  presume  was  Mr.  Ruf- 
fin's.  Presently,  a  dirty  looking  negro,  with  his 
head  covered  with  flour,  made  his  appearance  from 
below. 

"You  black  scoundrel,"  said  Captain  Gunnell 
to  the  steward,  "  why  did'nt  you  reply  to  me 
when  I  called  ?" 

"  Cause  I  don't  hear,"  replied  the  steward  ;  "I 
was  stowing  away  eggs,  with  my  head  in  flour 
barrel." 

"  Silence,  sir,"  said  the  captain,  "  don't  ma  e 
any  back  answers ;  but  the  next  time  I  call,  do 
you  answer  me  whether  you  hear  me  or  not,  or 
I'll  pick  your  ears  with  a  crowbar,  you  black 
rascal." 

"  Ay,  a}r,  sir,"  said  the  steward.  And  he  was 
turning  to  go  away,  when  Captain  Gunnell  again 
called  out,  "  steward  !" 

"Sir,"  replied  the  steward. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  157 

"  What  did  I  call  you  for,  steward  ?"  said 
Captain  Gunnell. 

"  Captain  Gunnell  didn't  say  what  he  call  me 
for,"  replied  the  negro,  meekly. 

"  Steward,"  again  exclaimed  the  captain, 
"  bring  me  two  chairs." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  the  steward,  and  disappeared 
down  the  cabin  stairs,  and  soon  returned,  bringing 
two  chairs  with  him  ;  one  had  no  back,  and  the 
other  but  three  legs.  Captain  Gunnell  invited 
me  to  sit  down,  apologizing  for  not  inviting  me 
into  the  cabin,  as  they  were  stowing  away  the  ship's 
grub,  and  it  was  not  in  a  fit  condition  to  receive 
company. 

I  was  impatient  to  know  whether  Captain  Gun 
nell  would  take  me  to  sea  w7ith  him  or  not,  and  in 
a  very  few  words  I  told  him  the  object  of  my  visit, 
the  which  he  no  sooner  heard  than  he  put  his  hat 
upon  his  head,  and  looked  at  me  from  head  to 
foot.  I  have  found  it  to  be  almost  invariably  the 
case,  that  when  I  have  asked  a  favor  of  a  man,  his 
bearing  towards  me  has  undergone  an  immediate 
and  by  no  means  an  agreeable  change.  Captain 
Gunnell  was  not  an  exception  to  this  rule. 

However,  I  was  not  disposed  to  be  very  par 
ticular,  so  I  did  not  pretend  to  notice  that  he  spoke 
to  me,  after  he  heard  the  object  of  my  visit,  very 

VOL.  i.  14 


158  HARRY   FRANCO, 

much  in  the  same  manner  that  he  spoke  to  his 
steward,  as  he  consented  to  take  me  with  him,  if  I 
chose  to  go  as  a  green  hand.  I  did  not  exactly 
understand  the  meaning  of  the  term,  but  I  told 
him  I  had  no  objections  to  going  in  any  capacity 
that  he  thought  me  qualified  for. 

"  Qualified  !"  said  the  captain,  "  I  don't  think 
you  are  qualified  for  any  thing  but  eating  duff. 
However,  young  fellow,  you  are  like  a  young 
bear,  all  your  troubles  are  before  you,  and  if  you 
insist  on  going,  I  will  take  you  with  me  for  your 
father's  sake  ;  he  did  me  a  good  turn  once,  and 
one  good  turn  deserves  another."  And  then  he 
called  for  Mr.  Ruffin. 

Mr.  Ruffin  answered  "ay,  ay,  sir,"  from  below, 
and  then  followed  his  voice  by  springing  out  of  the 
hold  on  to  the  deck.  He  was  not  by  any  means  a 
very  pleasant  man  to  look  at ;  he  was  short,  and  thin 
visage d,  and  bow  legged  ;  he  had  a  most  awful 
squint,  and  his  nose  was  all  bent  on  one  side ;  his 
shirt  sleeves  were  rolled  up  above  his  elbows,  and 
displayed  his  long  ape  like  arms  as  brown  as  a 
piece  of  old  mahogany,  and  with  all  their  cords 
and  sinews  plainly  developed  ;  he  was  dressed  in 
a  pair  of  canvass  trowsers  and  a  calico  shirt, 
neither  of  which  was  remarkably  clean,  and  on 
his  head  he  wore  a  low  crowned  drab  wool  hat. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  159 

with  a  piece  of  red  quality  for  a  band  ;  every  time 
he  spoke  he  turned  over  an  enormous  quid  of  to 
bacco  in  his  mouth,  and  squirted  out  a  torrent  of 
juice  ;  he  was  the  chief  mate  of  the  ship. 

"Mr.  Ruffin,"  said  Captain  Gunnel],  address 
ing  the  mate,  "  is  all  the  hands  shipped  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Ruflin,  "  there  is  one 
vacancy." 

"  Then  don't  give  another  order,  sir,"  said  the 
captain,  "  this  youngster  wants  to  ship  as  a  green 
hand,  and  I  will  give  him  an  order  myself  on  the 
notary." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  mate ;  and  then 
bringing  his  eyes  to  a  focus,  he  surveyed  rne  from 
head  to  foot,  and  jumped  down  into  the  hold 
again ;  he  had  no  sooner  disappeared,  however, 
than  the  captain  again  called  out  in  his  gruff 
voice,  "Mr.  Ruffin!" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  again  answered  the  mate,  and 
sprang  on  deck  once  more. 

"Mr.  Ruffin,"  said  the  captain,  "you  under- 
derstand,  sir,  that  I  will  give  this  young  man  an 
order  myself." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  mate,  without  show 
ing  the  slightest  impatience  at  being  called  up  on 
so  trifling  an  occasion,  or  indeed  on  no  occasion  at 
all. 


160  HARRY    FRANCO, 

Captain  Gunnell  then  gave  me  an  order  on  the 
notary,  to  ship  me  as  a  green  hand,  at  ten  dollars 
per  month,  and  told  me  if  I  wanted  a  month's  ad 
vance,  to  tell  Tom  Coin  that  he  would  be  security 
for  me.  After  I  had  left  the  ship,  he  called  me 
back,  and  told  me  to  be  on  board  the  next  day  at 
twelve  o'clock. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  361 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Will  giveapeep  into  a  ship's  forecastle,  and  some  other  places', 
which  the  gentle  reader  may  never  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  peeping  into  before,  and  therefore  he  is  advised  not  to  miss 
this  opportunity  of  doing  so. 

IT  may  be  thought  that  my  prospects  were  not 
very  bright,  and  that  I  had  no  great  cause  for  re 
joicing ;  but  whether  I  had  or  not,  I  left  the  Two 
Marys  with  a  heart  much  lighter  than  when  I  went 
on  board  of  her.  My  mind  was  not  occupied  with 
Captain  Gunnell  and  his  mate,  but  with  the  silver 
mines  of  La  Plata,  and  my  proud  cousin,  and  the  all 
lovely  Georgiana  De  Lancey. 

It  is  a  blessed  thing  for  the  poor  wretches  who 
are,  by  some  means  or  other,  defrauded  of  their 
rightful  portion  of  the  good  things  which  surround 
them,  that  they  can  wander  at  will,  and  appropriate 
to  their  own  use  the  greenest  spots  that  they  can 
find' in  the  broad  region  of  Hope.  This  was  my 
privilege,  and  I  was  by  no  means  heedless  of  my 
prerogative. 

I  hastened  back  to  my  boarding  house,  packed 

up  my  clothes,  paid  Mrs.  Riggs  for  my  board,  and 

told  her  I  should  leave  her  in  the  morning.     For 

the  first  time,  I  wrote  to  my  father,  and  informed 

14*  * 


162  HARRY    FRANCO, 

him  of  my  determination  to  go  to  sea,  and  hinted 
that  I  should  not  come  back  until  I  could  come 
with  a  fortune.  I  said  not  a  word  to  Mr.  Worhoss 
about  my  intentions,  for  I  didn't  consider  him  en 
titled  to  any  consideration.  As  soon  as  it  was  dark, 
I  strolled  up  to  the  establishment  of  Miss  Smith, 
with  the  hope  of  catching  a  glance  of  Miss  De 
Lancey,  but  without  success  ;  there  was  not  a  light 
to  be  seen,  nor  a  soul  stirring  about  that  respecta 
ble  school ;  so  I  gave  a  parting  look  to  the  brick 
walls,  which  enclosed  the  form  of  the  gentle  Geor- 
giana,  and  turned  my  back  upon  them  with  a  sigh, 
without  even  daring  to  hope  that  I  should  ever  be 
hold  her  agsin. 

In  the  morning  I  went  to  the  Notary's  office, 
and  signed  my  name  to  the  ship's  papers ;  and 
while  I  was  reading  the  articles  of  agreement,  and 
the  act  of  Congress  which  they  contained,  the  no 
tary's  clerk  snatched  them  away  from  me,  and 
asked  me  if  I  wanted  to  eat  them.  I  replied,  that 
I  didn't  like  to  sign  my  name  to  an  agreement 
without  reading  it;  upon  which  he  cursed  both  his 
eyes  most  profanely,  and  wished  he  might  be 
knocked  into  the  shape  of  a  cocked  hat,  if  such  a 
thing  was  ever  heard  of,  as  a  sailor  reading  a 
ship's  articles. 

A  blufflooking  sailor  who  was  standing  by,  said 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  163 

he  had  got  an  old  "  articles"  in  his  chest,  and  as 
he  was  going  in  the  Two  Marys  himself,  he  would 
let  me  read  them  in  my  watch  below,  when  we  got 
to  sea.  The  notary  asked  me  if  I  had  got  a  pro 
tection,  and  on  hearing  that  I  had  not,  he  wanted 
to  know  who  was  going  to  swear  that  I  was  an 
American,  as  it  was  necessary  for  some  body  to  do 
so  before  I  could  get  one.  I  expressed  my  fears 
that  I  should  not  be  able  to  get  a  protection,  as  I 
knew  of  nobody  who  could  swear  to  the  fact  of  my 
being  a  native  born.  As  I  said  this,  a  greasy  look 
ing  man,  in  a  bob  tail  green  coat,  said  he  would 
sell  me  a  protection  that  would  exactly  answer  the 
description  of  my  person,  if  I  had  no  objections  to 
changing  my  name  to  Smith. 

"  No,  sir,  I  thank  you,"  I  replied,  "  I  don't  like 
the  name  of  Smith." 

"  You  are  a  real  fool,"  exclaimed  the  Notary, 
"  Smith  is  as  good  a  purser's  name  as  a  man  need 
have." 

"•I  think  so  too,"  said  the  bob-tail-coated  gen 
tleman,  "  it's  a  good  name  enough  for  a  green 
hand  any  how." 

"  But  why  don't  you  swear  for  him,  Pete  ?" 
asked  the  notary. 

"  So  I  scall,"  said  the  obliging  Pete,  "  if  he 
scall  give  me  two  skillings  ?" 


164  HARRY   FRANCO, 

"  I  would  do  so  with  pleasure,"  I  replied,  "  but 
will  it  not  be  perjury  ?" 

"Don't  make  ajosey  of  yourself,"  said  the  no 
tary's  clerk,  "  if  the  man  is  willing  to  swear  for 
you,  what  do  you  care  about  his  perjuring  him 
self?" 

"  Well,"  I  replied,  "  I  am  willing." 

So  the  gentleman  swore  that  to  the  best  of  his 
belief,  &c.  that  I  was  born,  &c. ;  and  some  other 
form  having  been  observed,  a  protection  was  pro 
cured  for  me  from  the  custom  house,  and  I  receiv 
ed  a  month's  pay  in  advance,  and  was  told  to  be 
on  board  the  ship  with  my  duds  by  two  o'clock. 
The  sailor  who  offered  to  lend  me  the  "  articles," 
asked  me  to  take  a  horn  with  him,  and  as  I  was 
anxious  to  offend  no  one,  I  followed  him  into  a 
grocery  close  by  ;  he  walked  up  to  the  counter,  and 
filled  a  tumbler  half  full  of  whiskey,  nodded  to  me, 
and  said,  "  here's  luck,  shipmate,"  and  drank  it  off, 
without  adding  a  drop  of  water  to  it.  But  for  my 
part,  I  took  a  very  little  gin,  and  a  good  deal  of 
water,  and  nodded  to  Jack,  and  repeated  his  words, 
but  I  could  not  for  the  life  of  me  swallow  a  drop  of 
the  gin  and  water,  the  scent  of  it  was  so  nauseous. 
Jack  threw  down  a  sixpence,  but  the  bar-keeper  re 
turned  him  a  cent,  saying  he  charged  three  cents 
a  glass  at  retail,  but  as  Jack  took  his  whiskey  by 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  1G5 

the  wholesale,  he  should  only  charge  him  two. 
There  were  three  or  four  dirty  looking  fellows,  and 
a  couple  of  negroes,  standing  round  the  bar,  and 
they  all  laughed  very  loud  at  the  bar-keeper's  wit, 
as  though  they  had  never  heard  the  joke  before. 
Jack  himself  laughed,  and  the  bar-keeper  giggled, 
and  swore  it  was  "  too  good  j"  the  negroes  said  it 
was  "  too  sweet ;"  and  they  all  swore  with  one 
voice,  that  Jack  was  bound  to  treat  the  company  ; 
so  he  told  them  to  "  take  hold ;"  one  of  the  negroes 
beckoned  in  two  more  darkies,  who  were  luxuriat 
ing  in  the  hot  sun  on  a  lazy  bench  at  the  door. 
While  these  amiable  gentlemen  were  filling  their 
glasses,  I  contrived  to  make  my  escape  unper- 
ceived. 

As  I  had  no  farewells  to  take,  all  my  little  ar 
rangements  for  the  voyage  were  soon  completed, 
and  at  the  appointed  hour,  I  was  on  board  the 
Two  Marys,  with  my  chest,  which  contained  a 
couple  of  calico  shirts,  a  pair  of  duck  trowsers,  a 
monkey  jacket,  a  black  silk  handkerchief,  Blunt's 
Navigator,  and  a  jack  knife.  As  soon  as  I  got  on 
board,  Mr.  Ruffin,  the  mate,  told  me  I  must  take 
my  long-tail  coat  off;  I  told  him  I  would  as  soon 
as  I  had  put  my  chest  away,  and  found  a  conve 
nient  place  to  undress  myself  in. 

I  had  got  my  chest  half  way  down  the  cabin. 


HARRY   FRANCO, 

stairs,  when  Mr.  Ruffin  called  out  in  his  gruff 


voice. 


Hollo  .  youngster,  if  you  want  to  get  into  the 

•ter  part  of  the  ship,  you  musn't  crawl  in  at  the 

cabm  windows,  but  come  aft  as  I  did,  by  degrees, 

"rough  the  hawse  holes,  and  through  every  ring- 

bolt  in  the  ship's  deck." 

I  have  generally  found  it  a  safe  way,  when  any 
body  addressed  any  conversation  to  me  which  I 
d  not  understand,  to  make  no  reply,  and  as  I 
d,dn  t  comprehend  a  word  of  what  Mr.  Ruffin  said 
i  made  no  answer,  but  continued  to  take  my  chest 
down  into  the  cabin. 

"Do  you  hear  me,  youngster?"  growled  Mr. 
Kuffin. 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  looking  up,  « I  hear  you, 
but  I  don't  understand  you." 

"  Don't  understand  me .'"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ruffin 
with  an  oath,  "can't  you  understand  English  '? 
1  ake  your  traps  forward  into  the  forecastle.  Do 
you  understand  that  ?" 

I  did  not  exactly  understand  it,  but  the  steward 

ame  to  my  assistance,  and  showed  me  where  the 

forecastle  was,  and  helped  me  to  put  my  chest  into 

I  could  not  help  thinking  that  so  much  vio- 

e  was  entirely  uncalled  for  on  the  part  of  Mr 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  167 

Ruffin,  as  I  would  have  obeyed  the  most  gentle  sig 
nification  of  his  will  with  the  greatest  alacrity. 

The  forecastle  was  a  dark  and  dirty  looking 
hole,  without  a  particle  of  paint,  and  destitute  of 
every  kind  of  convenience,  for  either  dressing  or 
eating.  If  I  had  seen  it  before  I  signed  the  ship's 
articles,  I  doubtwhether  I  should  have  had  courage 
to  have  ventured  on  going  to  sea.  It  was  not, 
however,  in  my  nature,  to  repine  long  at  anything, 
so  I  hauled  off  my  coat,  and  went  upon  deck,  and 
bustled  about  and  made  myself  as  busy  as  possible, 
trusting  that  I  should  do  right,  but  I  doubt  whe 
ther  I  was  of  much  service.  Tlie  decks  were  full 
of  ropes  and  sailor's  chests,  and  all  manner  of  ar 
ticles,  not  one  of  which  could  I  call  by  its  right 
name. 

The  crew  being  all  on  board,  the  pilot  took 
charge  of  the  ship,  the  lines  were  cast  loose,  and 
we  drifted  off  into  the  river,  Captain  Gunnell  stand 
ing  on  the  end  of  the  wharf,  hallooing  and  cursing 
until  we  were  out  of  the  sound  of  his  voice.  When 
the  ship  reached  the  middle  of  the  river,  the  anchor 
was  let  go,  the  riggers  were  sent  ashore,  and  the 
cook,  whom  Mr.  Ruffin  called  the  "  Doctor,"  was 
ordered  to  give  the  crew  their  suppers.  It  was  an 
order  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  given,  for  I  was  very 
hungry  ;  but  I  looked  in  vain  for  the  preparations 


168  HARRY   FRANCO, 

for  eating,  which  I  expected  to  see.  My  heart  sank 
within  me,  when  on  going  into  the  forecastle,  I 
discovered  that  our  supper  consisted  of  a  tub  of 
salt  beef,  some  hard  biscuits,  and  an  iron  kettle 
filled  with  black  tea,  sweetened  with  molasses. 

The  sailors  were  the  roughest  looking  set 
of  men  I  had  ever  seen  in  my  life ;  they  were 
seated  in  a  half  circle  on  their  chests,  with  each  a 
tin  pot  of  smoking  hot  tea,  and  a  long  sheath 
knife  in  his  hand  ;  they  grumbled  and  damned, 
and  found  fault  with  every  thing  before  them,  for 
which  I  did  not  think  they  were  much  to  blame. 
They  called  the'tea  "  water  bewitched,"  and  one 
of  them  swore  it  was  the  regular  "Yawpan,"  which 
he  had  seen  sold  for  sixpence  the  bushel  in  Macao. 
Another  said  the  beef  was  part  of  an  old  horse,  and 
swore  he  found  a  horse's  hoof,  with  the  shoe  on  it, 
in  the  cook's  coppers.  As  for  the  bread,  they  said 
they  should  be  obliged  to  carry  a  ten  penny  nail 
in  their  pockets,  whenever  they  went  to  their 
meals,  to  nail  the  biscuit  down  to  the  deck,  to  keep 
the  worms  from  running  away  with  it. 

"  I  suppose,  Bob,"  said  one,  "  we  shall  have 
small  stores  all  the  voyage  ?" 

"  You  may  swear  to  that,"  replied  another, 
"  Philadelfy  small  stores,  a  tar  pot  and  a  scraper." 

At  the  first  sight  of  the  beef,  I  thought  I  could 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  169 

not  prevail  upon  my  stomach  to  become  a  recepta 
cle  for  a  mouthful  of  it;  but,  by  degrees,  my  hun 
ger  got  the  better  of  my  scruples,  and  I  borrowed 
a  knife  from  one  of  the  sailors,  and  commenced 
cutting  myself  a  slice  ;  forks  there  were  none,  but 
I  found  that  good  carving  was  an  accomplishment, 
indispensable  even  in  a  ship's  forecastle,  for  as  my 
knife  diverged  a  little  from  a  strait  line,  to  include 
a  morsel  of  fat  in  the  vicinity,  one  of  my  shipmates 
growled  out  in  no  very  pleasant  tones,  "  cut  square, 
matey;"  "none  of  your  Philadelfy  slices,"  ex 
claimed  another,  and  without  further  notice,  I  re 
ceived  a  rap  across  the  knuckles,  from  the  knife 
handle  of  the  last  growler. 

"  Who  did  that?"  I  exclaimed,  starting  upon 
my  feet. 

"  Who  did  it?  you  Johnny  raw,  I  did  it," 
replied  a  sailor  ;  at  the  sight  of  whom  all  my  valor 
melted  away.  A  stouter  person  than  myself  might 
have  pocketed  an  insult  from  him,  without  suffer 
ing  an  imputation  of  cowardice;  his  huge  fists  and 
broad  shoulders  inspired  me  with  a  feeling  of  re 
spect  rather  than  fear.  But  I  felt  that  I  had  been 
insulted,  and  a  feeling  of  shame  made  me  shrink 
from  the  notice  of  my  companions,  and  I  crept  into 
one  of  the  berths,  from  whence  I  could  look  down 

VOL.  i.  15 


170  HARRY    FRANCO, 

and  take  a  leisurely  survey  of  all  that  was  going  on. 
As  I  gazed  upon  the  rough  faces,  and  listened  to 
the  profane  conversation  of  the  sailors,  I  felt  a  mis 
giving  that  there  were  evil  days  in  store  for  me, 
and  I  could  not  but  wish  that  I  had  never  left  my 
quiet  home,  to  seek  my  fortune  in  the  turbulent 
world  ;  but  thoughts  of  home  were  always  accom 
panied  with  recollections  of  the  cause  of  my  leav 
ing  it ;  and  I  dismissed  all  fears,  and  thought  only 
of  the  sneering  prophecy  of  my  cousin. 

A  smoky  lamp,  suspended  from  the  ceiling  of 
the  forecastle,  gave  but  just  light  enough  to  show 
the  hard  faces  of  the  men  who  sat  immediately 
under  it ;  and  to  reveal  but  dimly  the  prominent 
features  of  those  who  were  farther  removed,  leav 
ing  a  part  of  their  persons  completely  wrapped  in 
obscurity  ;  so  that  they  appeared  like  half  formed 
beings,  emerging  out  of  chaos.  They  were  all  either 
drunk,  or  in  that  surly  and  brutish  state,  which 
succeeds  to  a  drunken  revel.  When  their  supper 
was  over,  they  kicked  the  tub  of  beef  into  a  corner, 
and  threw  their  tin  pots  on  one  side,  and  all  signs 
of  a  meal  were  gone  :  clearing  away  the  supper 
things  was  a  short  ceremony.  Notwithstanding 
their  apparent  surliness  and  ill  humor,  one  of  them 
volunteered  a  song,  and  in  a  voice  like  a  north- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  171 

wester,  was  proceeding  with  great  solemnity  to 
sing 

"  It  was  a  ship  and  a  ship  of  fame, 

Launched  off  the  stocks,  and  bound  for  the  Main," 

when  he  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  a  voice  on 
deck,  exclaiming,  "  hallo  there  below  !  stand  from 
under!"  And  down  jumped  a  young  sailor,  with 
a  little  blue  keg  under  his  arm.  "Who  knows 
me  ?"  exclaimed  the  new  comer  ;  "  here  I  am,  Je 
remiah  Bowhorn  !" 

Whether  it  was  because  of  the  light  hearted  and 
merry  tones  of  the  young  sailor's  voice,  or  his  neat 
and  good-looking  person,  or  the  sight  of  the  little 
blue  keg  which  he  brought  with  him,  I  cannot  sa}', 
but  his  presence  seemed  to  give  universal  satisfac 
tion ;  and  the  sailors  all  gave  him  a  hearty  wel 
come,  although  none  of  them  recognized  him  for 
an  old  acquaintance,  which  gave  Mr.  Bowhorn, 
some  surprise,  for  he  said  he  thought  he  knew 
every  body.  After  he  had  satisfied  sundry  inqui 
ries  about  the  names  of  his  landlord,  his  sweet 
hearts,  and  his  last  ship,  he  sat  down  and  called  for 
a  tort,  upon  which,  one  of  the  sailors  took  a  little 
horn  drinking  cup  out  of  the  till  of  his  chest,  and 
Jeremiah  filled  it  with  gin,  out  of  his  little  cask, 
which  he  called  his  "  bull,"  and  passed  it  in  turn 
to  each  of  the  sailors.  As  he  filled  the  last  tort, 


172  HARRY    FRANCO, 

he  caught  sight  of  my  head,  as  I  stretched  it 
out  over  the  side  of  the  berth,  to  see  what  was  go 
ing  on,  and  he  swore  he  would  have  me  out  of  my 
hiding  place  in  a  trice,  if  I  didn't  jump  out  and 
take  a  horn.  "  Come,  come,  shipmate,"  he  said, 
"  it  is  too  early  to  go  to  prayers  yet,  so  haul  your 
self  out,  and  take  a  tort  of  the  real  stuff."  So  I 
jumped  out  of  my  birth,  for  my  heart  yearned  to 
wards  the  new  comer  the  moment  I  heard  his 
voice  ;  and  in  a  valiant  attempt  to  swallow  a  horn 
of  new  whiskey,  I  came  near  being  strangled.  My 
imminent  danger,  instead  of  exciting  sympathy, 
caused  the  most  boisterous  merriment  among  my 
shipmates  ;  and  to  show  me  what  a  green  horn  I 
was,  each  of  them  drank  another  tort  of  the  newly 
distilled  poison  without  winking.  A  song  appears 
to  be  always  the  natural  effect  of  drinking.  The 
singer,  who  had  been  interrupted  by  the  sudden 
dropping  in  of  Jeremiah  Bowhorn,  again  commen 
ced  his  solemn  ditty,  which  was  patiently  listened 
to  by  all  hands  until  the  close.  But  I  will  only  tran 
scribe  this  one  verse,  for  the  benefit  of  my  readers  : 

"  It,  \vrs  a  ship  and  a  ship  of  frme, 
Launched  off  the  stocks,  and  bound  for  the  Main, 
"With  a  hundred  and  fifty  bold  young  men, 
They  were  picked  and  chosen  every  one." 

It  may,  however,  be    considered  ungenerous  to 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  173 

give  but  one  verse,  and  as  the  next  one  seems  to 
be  necessary  to  complete  the  sense  of  the  first,  I 
will  transcribe  that  too  : 

"  Benjamin  Jones  was  her  captain's  name, 
He  was  a  fine  and  a  brisk  young  man, 
And  as  brave  a  sailor  as  ever  went  to  sea, 
And  we  were  bound  for  the  coast  of  Africa." 

After  this  song,  there  was  more  whiskey  drank, 
and  another  song  was  sung,  "  'T  was  down  in  Cu 
pid's  garden,"  and  then  another  and  another.  All 
the  songs  had  choruses,  in  which  I  joined  with  all 
my  might,  and  a  terrible  uproar  we  made.  The 
fish  in  the  river,  as  they  swam  past  our  ship's 
bows,  must  have  been  frightened  at  the  noise. 
For  my  own  part,  I  began  .  to  think  myself  for 
tunate  in  falling  into  the  society  of  such  a  fine  set 
of  fellows,  and  my  unfavorable  impressions  were 
fast  wearing  away.  Even  the  man  who  had  rap 
ped  me  over  the  knuckles  with  his  knife  handle, 
no  longer  looked  as  forbidding  as  at  first  sight  he 
appeared  ;  his  black  shaggy  eyebrows,  it  is  true, 
cast  a  dark  shadow  over  his  face,  but  the  eyes 
which  looked  out  from  beneath  them  were  as  blue 
and  as  mild  as  an  infant's ;  and  then  his  broad, 
manly  chest,  and  bull  like  neck,  to  which  his  curly 
black  hair  clung  like  the  tendrils  of  a  vine  to  the 
15* 


174  HARRY    FRANCO, 

trunk  of  an  oak,  gave  an  assurance  of  strength 
which  it  was  comfortable  to  know  I  could  depend 
upon  in  time  of  need. 

The  tort  was  passed  around  so  freely,  that  at 
last  my  pleasant  companions  began  to  lose  their 
relish  for  music,  and  commenced  making  sounds 
which  were  any  thing  but  indicative  of  harmoni 
ous  feelings.  In  the  place  of  singing,  they  all 
evinced  a  decided  inclination  for  fighting,  and 
more  than  one  boasted  of  his  individual  prowess. 
Fearing  that  I  might  get  into  a  broil,  and  distrust 
ing  my  ability  to  defend  myself  with  credit,  I 
again  retreated  to  my  berth,  that  I  might  be  out 
of  harm's  way;  but  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  get 
into  it,  for  it  appeared  to  be  flying  round  and 
round,  and  I  was  obliged  to  stand  still  some  time 
before  it  got  steady. 

The  stout  sailor  with  the  shaggy  eye  brows, 
whose  name  I  found  was  Jack  Snaggs,  had  re 
mained  remarkably  quiet  for  some  time,  sitting 
with  his  lips  tightly  compressed  together,  appa 
rently  waiting  for  one  of  his  shipmates  to  begin 
a  quarrel  with  him.  But  stout  men  are  general 
ly  the  last  ones  that  quarrelsome  individuals 
choose  to  interfere  with,  and  Jack  Snaggs  would 
probably  have  had  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  a 
fight,  if  he  had  not  provoked  one  himself.  He 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  175 

sat  for  some  minutes  looking  steadily  at  Jerry 
Bowhorn,  who,  nothing  daunted  by  his  frowns, 
shot  fiery  glances  at  him  from  his  keen  hazel 
eyes. 

"  I  say,  shipmate,"  at  last  said  Jack  Snaggs  to 
Jeremiah  Bowhorn,  "  what  are  you  looking  at 
me  for  ?" 

"  Because  you  were  looking  at  me,"  replied 
Jerry. 

"  Well,  how  do  you  like  the  looks  o'me  ?" 
said  Jack. 

"  I  don't  like  the  looks  of  you  at  all,"  replied 
Jerry,  with  an  oath. 

"  How  are  you  going  to  help  yourself,  ship 
mate  ?"  growled  Jack. 

To  this  interrogatory,  Jerry  made  no  other  re 
ply  than  to  untie  his  black  silk  neckhandker- 
chief  and  throw  it  upon  the  floor. 

"  I  say,  shipmate,"  said  Jack,  "  warn't  you 
once  in  Jib-boom  alley  f" 

"  Idisrernember,"  replied  Jerry,  "  whether  I  was 
or  not ;  'spose  I  was  ?" 

"I  know  blasted  well  you  was,"  replied  Jack, 
getting  more  excited,  "  and  you  are  the  highbin 
der  which  took  away  my  young  woman,  the  boy 
Jack,  one  night  at  old  mother  Dooqueen's,  when 
I  was  swipy." 


176  HARRY    FRANCO, 

"  Did  I  ?"  said  Jerry,  tauntingly. 

"  Yes,  you  are  the  very  highbinder,  which  did 
that  thing,"  replied  Jack. 

"  Do  you  call  me  a  highbinder,  you  drunken 
swab,"  exclaimed  Jerry,  starting  upon  his  feet, 
and  at  the  same  time  pulling  off  his  shirt,  and 
flourishing  his  fists  in  the  air. 

Jack  Snaggs  no  sooner  witnessed  this  feat, 
than  he  imitated  it  without  the  least  possible  de 
lay, -and  made  a  pass  at  Jerry  with  one  of  his 
huge  fists.  But  the  other  sailors  interfered,  and 
said  if  there  was  going  to  be  a  fight,  it  should  be 
done  in  ship-shape  fashion  or  not  at  all.  They 
then  pulled  a  chest  into  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
and  having  placed  the  two  combatants  astride  of 
it,  with  their  faces  to  each  other,  at  a  proper  dis 
tance  apart,  they  fixed  them  in  their  places 
by  driving  a  couple  of  nails  through  the  seats  of 
their  trowsers  to  prevent  them  from  rising  and 
closing  in. 

Jerry  squared  his  arms,  and  looked  with  an  un 
daunted  eye  upon  his  antagonist  ;  but  I  trembled 
with  fright  when  I  contrasted  his  slight  and  deli 
cate  form  with  that  of  Jack  Snaggs,  who,  now 
that  he  had  divested  himself  of  his  shirt,  display- 
a  broad  chest  covered  with  crispy  hair,  and  an 
arm  with  prodigious  muscular  developments  ;  my 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  177 

heart  was  in  my  month,  and  I  felt  that  the  only 
hope  for  Jerry  was,  that  liquor  might  have  ren 
dered  that  arm  powerless. 

They  made  several  ineffectual  passes  at  each 
other,  and  at  last  Jerry  succeeded  in  giving  his 
antagonist  a  blow  in  his  left  eye,  which  immedi 
ately  began  to  swell  and  turn  black.  Jack,  how 
ever,  didn't  appear  to  notice  it,  but  sparred  away, 
and  presently  Jerry  got  a  blow  in  his  chest  which 
staggered  him  for  a  moment,  and  then, .  as  if  he 
had  received  new  vigor  from  the  effects  of  it,  he 
plied  his  fists  so  well,  and  parried  his  antagonist's 
blows  with  such  dexterity,  that  he  soon  planted 
another  blow  on  his  right  eye,  which  evidenly  dis 
composed  him,  so  much  so,  that  it  was  plain  to 
perceive  he  threw  about  his  fists  at  random,  and 
although  he  had  a  decided  advantage  in  the 
length  of  his  arms,  yet  Jerry,  from  the  quickness 
of  his  motions,  soon  succeeded  in  gaining  com 
plete  mastery  over  him,  when  the  sailors  inter 
fered,  and  declared  Jerry  the  victor.  Poor  Jack 
was  dreadfully  disfigured  ;  the  blood  was  stream 
ing  from  his  mouth  and  nostrils,  and  his  eyes 
were  frightfully  swollen;  he  acknowledged  that 
Jerry  had  flogged  him  fairly,  and  threw  his  arms 
around  his  neck,  and  wept  like  a  child.  I  could 
not  refrain  from  weeping  myself  to  see  him,  ap 
parently  without  a  particle  of  animosity,  take  the 


178  HARRY    FRANCO, 

young  sailor  in  his  arms,  who  had  so  beaten  and 
bruised  him,  and  hug  him  to  his  shaggy  breast, 
while  tears,  mingled  with  blood,  ran  down  his 
rough  face. 

One  of  the  sailors  took  a  bottle  of  brandy  out 
of  his  chest,  and  washed  the  faces  and  hands  of 
both  the  combatants,  and  it  was  discovered  that 
they  were  neither  of  them  as  badly  hurt  as  they 
appeared  to  be.  As  soon  as  Jack  could  speak, 
he  declared  it  was  the  first  time  he  had  been  lick 
ed  since  his  name  was  Snaggs. 

"  Your  name  aint  Snaggs  ?"  said  Jerry. 

"  But  it  is  though,"  replied  Jack. 

"What,  Jack  Snaggs?"  exclaimed  Jerry. 

"  Ay,  Jack  Snaggs,"  replied  the  other. 

"  Wasn't  you  in  the  Vandilly  ?"    inquired  Jer- 

rJ- 

"I  was  quarter-gunner  of  that  barkey,"  re 
plied  Jack. 

"  Well,  I  wish  I  may  be  turned  ashore  on  a 
grating,  with  a  pig  for  a  coxswain,  if  I  wouldn't 
sooner  have  struck  my  old  mother  than  you. 
Don't  you  remember  your  old  chummy,  Bill 
Bovvlin,  the  side  boy,  who  was  .put  into  the  mizen 
top  ?" 

"  Remember  you,  yes,"  said  Jack,  trying  to 
pull  open  his  swollen  eye  lids,  "  but  you  said  your 
name  was  Bowhorn." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  179 

"  'Tother  was  only  a  purser's  name,"  said  Jer 
ry,  "  but  my  real  name  is  Jeremiah  Bo  whom." 

This  discovery,  of  course,  caused  a  good  deal 
of  talk  and  wonder,  and  more  drinking",  and  more 
singing  had  to  follow.  While  we  were  in  the  mid 
dle  of  a  roaring  chorus,  Mr.  Ruffin,  the  mate, 
came  to  the  forecastle  scuttle,  and  called  out, 
"  hallo,  there  below  !" 

"Hull  high,  and  you  wont  break  your  shins," 
answered  Jerry. 

"  Do  you  know  who  you  are  talking  to  ?"  said 
Mr.  Ruffin,  gruilly. 

"  Yes,  I  know  who  you  are,"  replied  Jerry, 
4C  you  were  picked  up  along  shore,  the  other  day, 
with  an  eye  out." 

"  What  is  that  you  say  ?"  called  out  Mr.  Ruf 
fin  in  great  anger. 

"  Our  Sal  says  she  seed  you  in  the  museum  for 
a  show,"  replied  another  of  the  sailors,  mimicking 
the  voice  of  an  old  woman. 

"  Come  up  on  deck,  and  keep  watch,  you  ras 
cal,"  said  Mr.  Ruffin. 

"  Hadn't  you  better  keep  it  yourself,  as  you 
are  up  there,"  said  Jerry. 

"Come  up  at  once,"  said  Mr.  Ruffin,  "  or  I'll 
be  down  among  you  in  less  time  than  a  cat  can 
lick  her  ear." 


180  HARRY   FRANCO, 

"  Come  along,"  growled  Jack  Snaggs,  "  and 
I'll  straiten  that  ere  crooked  eye  of  yourn." 

Nothing  will  rouse  a  man's  temper  like  an  al 
lusion  to  his  personal  blemishes  ;  and  he  will  fight 
in  defence  of  his  deformities  when  his  character 
might  be  assailed  with  impunity.  The  reply  of 
Jack  Snaggs  brought  Mr.  Ruffin  into  the  forecas 
tle  at  a  bound,  as  soon  as  the  words  were  uttered. 
The  stairs  which  led  into  the  forecastle  had  been 
removed  to  make  more  room,  and  it  showed  no 
small  degree  of  courage  in  Mr.  Ruffin,  to  intrude 
himself  among  us,  as  there  was  no  way  for  him  to 
retreat.  He  had  no  sooner  landed  on  the  floor, 
than  somebody  put  out  the  light,  and  with  one 
accord  they  all  fell  afoul  of  him  and  beat  him  until 
he  cried  murder.  Feeling  certain  that  I  should 
have  abundant  cause  to  wish  for  an  opportunity  to 
do  so,  before  the  voyage  should  be  ended,  I  could 
not  restrain  an  inclination  to  give  him  two  or  three 
smart  kicks  myself.  At  last  he  begged  for  mercy, 
and  the  sailors  took  him  up  and  helped  him  on 
deck  ;  and  glad  enough,  no  doubt,  he  was  to  escape 
with  the  breath  in  his  body. 

They  struck  a  light  again  as  soon  as  they  had 
disposed  of  Mr.  Ruffin,  and  to  their  utter  dismay, 
discovered  that  in  the  scuffle  the  keg  of  whiskey 
had  been  overturned,  and  all  the  liquor  spilled. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  181 

It  was  immediately  determined  that  Jack  Snaggs 
should  go  on  deck  and  ask  permission  of  the 
mate  to  go  ashore  and  get  a  fresh  supply  of 
grog,  and  if  he  should  refuse,  as  it  was  presu 
med  he  would,  all  hands  were  to  rush  up  and 
seize  the  mate,  tie  him  to  the  fife-rail,  and  then 
take  the  boat  and  go  ashore. 

It  will  be  seen  in  the  next   chapter   with  what 
success  this  plan  was  carried  into  execution. 


VOL.  i.  16 


182  HARRY  FRANCO, 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

According  to  promise,  relates  how  Mr.  Ruffin  was  tied  to  the 
fife  rail,  and  how  the  sailors  went  ashore  in  the  jolly  boat, 
and  how  they  returned  again. 

MR.  PATERSON,  the  second  mate,  having  been 
married  only  the  night  before,  had  obtained  per 
mission  from  the  captain  to  sleep  ashore  with  his 
wife ;  the  cook  was  drunk  in  his  berth  ;  so  there 
was  nobody  for  the  mate  to  call  to  his  assistance 
but  the  steward ;  it  was  not,  therefore,  a  very 
valiant  feat  which  my  shipmates  had  undertaken 
to  perform. 

Jack  Snaggs  went  on  deck,  and  found  Mr.  Ruf 
fin  walking  fore  and  aft,  with  his  arms  folded,  and 
his  mind,  no  doubt,  busily  employed  in  devising 
plans  for  "working  up"  the  sailors  when  he  should 
get  them  off  soundings,  to  pay  them  for  the  drub 
bing  they  had  given  him. 

"  What  the  h —  do  you  want  ?"  he  growled 
out,  as  Jack  approached  him. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,"  said  Jack,  in  a  supplica 
ting  voice,  "  I  left  all  my  white  shirts  ashore  at 
the  washerwoman's,  and  I  want  to  borrow  the  loan 
of  the  jolly-boat  to  go  after  them." 

"  Go  below,  you  mutinous  scoundrel,"    replied 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  183 

the  mate,  "or  I'll  blow  your  brains  out."  At  the 
same  time  he  called  to  the  steward  to  bring  him 
his  pistols, 

But  Mr.  Snaggs  was  not  a  man  to  stand  still 
and  have  his  brains  blown  out ;  so  he  caught  Mr. 
Ruffin  in  his  arms,  and  held  him  fast,  until  the  men, 
who  were  waiting  to  hear  a  scuffle,  rushed  on 
deck,  and  according  to  previous  arrangement, 
bound  him  hand  and  foot,  and  then  lashed  him  to 
the  fife  rail.  The  steward,  in  the  mean  time,  had 
come  on  deck  with  the  pistols,  and  Mr.  Ruffin  or 
dered  him  to  shoot  Jack  Snaggs,  but  he  declined 
doing  any  such  thing,  saying  he  didn't  ship  for  it. 
Jerry  had  sense  enough  to  reflect  that  pistols  were 
dangerous  instruments,  so  he  took  them  out  of 
the  negro's  hands,  and  threw  them  overboard. 
They  then  lowered  away  the  jolly  boat,  and  find 
ing  themselves  masters  of  the  ship,  they  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  they  would  take  their  chests 
ashore  with  them,  for  fear  they  might  wish  to  re 
main  after  they  got  there.  One  of  the  sailors 
said  they  could  go  before  the  Mayor  and  swear 
they  were  afraid  of  their  lives,  and  that  would 
clear  them  from  all  harm.  They  accordingly  put 
all  their  baggage  into  the  boat,  and  insisted  that 
I  should  go  with  them  ;  but  I  was  afraid  of  the 
consequences,  and  refused  to  go.  They  made  me 


184  HARRY    FRANCO, 

promise  that  I  would  not  release  the  mate,  and 
then  they  jumped  into  the  boat,  gave  three  cheers, 
and  pushed  off.  As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  I 
jumped  down  into  the  forecastle,  crept  into  a  berth, 
and  snored  away  with  all  my  might,  pretending  to 
be  fast  asleep. 

Mr.  Ruffin  was  no  sooner  set  at  liberty  by  the 
steward,  than  he  came  forward,  swearing  and  curs 
ing  most  horribly  ;  he  jumped  down  into  the  fore 
castle,  and  going  to  the  berth  where  the  black 
cook  was  fast  asleep,  began  to  flog  him  with  a 
piece  of  tarred  rope  ;  but  finding  he  could  not 
wake  up  the  negro,  he  came  to  the  berth  where  I 
lay,  probably  attracted  by  the  noise  I  made 
through  my  nose,  in  trying  to  appear  as  though  I 
was  sound  asleep,  and  the  first  thing  I  perceived 
was  a  stinging  cut  across  my  shoulder  from  a 
rope's  end.  I  started  up  to  avoid  a  repetition. 
"  Haul  yourself  out  of  that,  you  green  horn," 
exclaimed  Mr.  Ruffin,  "  and  come  upon  deck  and 
keep  watch."  So  without  any  opposition,  I  fol 
lowed  Mr.  Ruffin  on  deck ;  he  ordered  me  to  keep 
watch  for  the  remainder  of  the  night,  and  to 
rouse  him  at  seven  bells  in  the  morning ;  he 
then  went  below,  and  after  knocking  the  steward 
down,  and  kicking  him  for  falling,  he  went  to 
bed. 


A    TALE    OF    THE    PANIC, 


185 


I  paced  the  deck  until  I  grew  weary  and  sleepy, 
and  then  I  wrapped  myself  up  in  a  monkey  jack 
et  and  lay  down,  and  was  soon  lost  in  sleep. 
Dreams  are  not  often  interesting  at  second  hand, 
so  I  shall  not  intrude  upon  my  kind  reader  those 
with  which  I  was  visited  on  this  occasion. 

I  felt  a  sudden  twinge  at  rny  ear,  which  brought 
me  upon  my  feet,  and  opening  my  eyes,  the  first 
object  I  saw  was  the  ugly  face  of  Mr.  Ruffin. 
"  This  is  a  pretty  way  to  keep  watch,"  said  the 
mate  ;  "  the  sun  has  been  up  these  two  hours." 

"  I  dare  say,"  I  replied,  rubbing  my  eyes. 

I  felt  stiffand  lame,  and  it  was  some  time  before  I 
coirld  move  myself  with  my  accustomed  activit}^. 
Mr.  Ruflin  made  a  signal  of  distress,  by  hoisting  the 
ensign  union  down,  and  very  soon  Captain  Gunnel 
came  oil  with  a  boat  full  of  men.  The  mate  re 
lated  to  him  the  particulars  of  the  last  night's  re 
bellion,  with  a  few  gratuitous  additions  respecting 
his  own  valorous  achievements  ;  at  which  Captain 
Gunnel  was  so  enraged,  that  he  called  the  steward 
to  him,  and  then  knocked  him  down  the  cabin 
stairs,  for  having  refused  to  shoot  Jack  Snaggs ; 
he  then  struck  the  cook  over  the  head  with  an  iron 
soup  ladle,  and  shook  his  finger  at  me  in  a  threat 
ening  manner.  After  having  promised  to  do  a  good 
many  horrible  things,  he  got  into  the  boat  and 
16* 


186  HARRY    FRANCO, 

started  for  the  shore,  and  in  less  than  an  hour,  he 
returned  with  the  ship's  jolly  boat,  and  all  the  de 
serters  ;  but  they  were  as  drunk  as  lords,  and  Mr, 
Ruffin,  the  cook,  and  myself,  were  forced  to  hoist 
them  on  board.  Another  boat  came  off  soon  after, 
with  half  a  dozen  riggers,  and  the  pilot;  the  wind 
springing  up  fair,  the  ship  was  got  underway,  and 
we  were  soon  outside  of  the  Hook,  and  before  sun 
set,  the  Highlands  of  Neversink  looked  like  a  little 
blue  speck  in  the  horizon. 

The  first  three  days  I  was  deadly  sick,  and  I  am 
entirely  ignorant  of  every  thing  that  took  place 
during  that  time.  The  fourth  day  I  began  to  re 
cover  my  appetite,  and  as  it  returned  I  devoured  the 
coarse  food  voraciously,  which  my  stomach  had 
refused  to  receive  before.  I  gradually  gained 
strength,  and  ran  up  and  down  the  rigging  without 
fear,  and  felt  as  happy  and  as  careless  as  the  por 
poises,  which  leaped  about  our  ship's  bows.  AH 
the  sailors,  with  the  exception  of  Jack  Snaggs,  had 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  their  dissipation,  and 
they  jumped  at  the  call  of  Mr.  Ruffin,  and  appear 
ed  to  obey  his  orders  with  as  hearty  a  will  as 
though  nothing  had  ever  happened  between  them. 
Captain  Gunnell  had  lain  aside  his  white  waistcoat 
and  ruffle  shirt,  and  made  his  appearance  on  the 
quarter  deck,  in  a  dress  not  much  better  than  a 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  187 

sailors.  I  have  no  doubt  he  felt  himself  much  more 
at  his  ease,  than  he  did  when  dressed  up  in  his 
shore  suit. 

The  weather  was  bright  and  warm,  and  every 
thing  appeared  joyous  and  pleasant ;  the  ship 
bounded  and  dashed  through  the  water,  leaving  a 
foaming  white  track  behind  her,  and  throwing  the 
spray  from  her  bows  like  drifts  of  snow ;  the  very 
waves  appeared  to  leap  up  with  pleasure,  and  the 
glorious  sun  seemed  to  look  down  upon  us  with 
intelligent  kindness,  for  there  was  not  another  ob 
ject  that  we  could  see  upon  the  waters,  to  be  glad 
dened  by  his  beams ;  and  at  night  the  stars  twink 
led  merrily  and  brightly,  as  though  they  kept  watch 
over  our,  destinies ;  the  winds  and  the  waves  made 
music  expressly  for  our  ears,  at  least  I  could  not 
but  think  so,  for  there  were  none  to  participate 
with  us  in  these  delights.  I  was  very  happy,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  thoughts  of  home,  and  dreams  of 
Georgiana  De  Lancey,  I  could  have  remained  for 
ever  at  sea  ;  at  least  I  felt  so  then.  Every  day  I 
learned  the  name  of  some  new  rope,  and  added  to 
my  nautical  accomplishments,  by  practising,  in  my 
watch  below,  the  art  of  making  running  bowlines 
and  turk's  heads. 

I  have  said  that  all  hands  had  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  their  drinking,  but  Jack  Snaggs;  he, 


188  HARRY    FRANCO, 

unfortunately,  bad  contrived  to  smuggle  on  board 
in  his  chest  a  jug  of  rum,  of  which  he  drank  so 
constantly,  that  the  delirium  tremens,  or,  as  the 
sailors  called  it,  the  horrors,  was  the  consequence. 
It  was  a  melancholy  sight  to  see  a  stout  vigorous 
man,  like  Jack,  stand  with  terrified  looks,  and  cry 
out  that  the  evil  one  was  in  pursuit  of  him ;  when 
ever  he  laid  down  in  his  birth,  he  would  exclaim, 
"  there  he  is,  there  he  is  —  save  me,  save  me," 
and  then  the  sweat  would  start  upon  his  forehead, 
and  his  teeth  would  chatter  like  a  man's  in  an  ague 
fit. 

On  the  fifth  day  after  we  left  port,  towards  sun 
set,  a  heavy  black  cloud  was  seen  in  the  horizon 
ahead,  and,  as  it  grew  dark,  a  constant  succession 
of  flashes  of  vivid  lightning  appeared  to  dart  from 
it.  The  sailors  said  we  were  getting  into  the  Gulph 
Stream.  The  cloud  began  to  rise  as  we  approached 
it,  and  the  air  grew  warm  and  oppressive.  We 
were  soon  in  thick  darkness,  which  was  relieved, 
however,  by  continual  flashes  of  lightning ;  the 
thunder  pealed  and  rattled  over  our  heads,  and  our 
ship  trembled  like  a  leaf;  soon  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents,  and  sudden  gusts  of  wind  assail 
ed  us  on  either  quarter.  Fortunately,  we  had 
shortened  sail,  and  made  every  preparation  for  a 
storm  before  it  grew  dark.  The  courses  were 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  189 

hauled  up,  the  topsails  close  reefed,  the  jib  and 
spanker  hauled  down,  and  a  storm  staysail  set.  All 
hands  had  been  called  upon  deck,  except  Jack 
Snaggs,  who,  on  account  of  his  horrors,  was  al 
lowed  to  remain  below  ;  and* we  all  stood  huddled 
together,  on  the  quarter  deck,  that  we  might  be  in 
readiness  to  carry  into  execution  any  orders  which 
should  be  given.  For  my  own  part,  I  enjoyed  the 
sublimity  of  the  scene  highly,  and  felt  not  the  least 
fear;  indeed,  the  only  thing  which  annoyed  me  was 
the  water  running  down  my  back,  which  rather 
dampened  my  admiration  of  the  tempest.  The 
sky  was  pitch  black,  but  the  sea  was  covered  with 
little  particles  of  luminous  matter,  so  numerous  and 
so  bright,  that  they  cast  a  greenish  glare  upon  our 
ship,  and  showed  in  strong  relief  all  her  spars  and 
ropes  against  the  sky ;  in  addition  to  this  strange 
and  unnatural  light,  a  ball  of  phosphorescent  mat 
ter  had  gathered  at  each  mast  head,  and  at  the  ends 
of  the  yards,  and  gave  the  ship  the  appearance  of 
being  illuminated  with  goblin  lanterns.  These  were 
novel  sights  to  me,  but  to  the  sailors,  and  even  to 
Captain  Gunnel  and  the  mate,  they  were  sights  of 
terror ;  these  men  who,  on  ordinary  occasion?, 
were  full  of  ribald  jests  and  wanton  oaths,  now 
stood  with  hushed  voices,  apparently  waiting  for 
some  expected  evil.  They  knew  from  experience. 


190  HARRY   FRANCO, 

the  dangers  which  surrounded  them  ;  but  I,  from 
ignorance,  was  without  fear  or  apprehension.  I 
stood  looking  over  the  gunnel,  watching  the 
lightning  as  it  crinkled  along  on  the  surface  of  ihe 
waves,  when  a  shrill  cry  rising  above  the  tumult  of 
the  elements,  and  the  pelting  of  the  rain  and  the 
roaring  of  the  thunder,  caused  all  hands  to  start 
with  fear.  The  sound  came  from  the  forward  part 
of  the  ship,  and  I  recognized  in  it  the  voice  of 
Jack  Snaggs ;  a  flash  of  lightning  the  next  mo 
ment  showed  the  poor  wretch  standing  between  the 
night  heads,  with  his  hands  thrown  above  his 
head,  as  if  preparing  to  leap  into  the  ocean. 
"  Bear  a  hand  forward,"  exclaimed  the  captain, 
"and  save  him  —  be  quick."  But  it  was  too  late  ; 
we  heard  him  as  he  plunged,  and  I  ran  to  the  ship's 
side,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  him  struggling  in 
the  water ;  we  threw  overboard  all  the  loose  arti 
cles  about  deck,  but  they  were  of  no  avail ;  it  was 
the  last  we  ever  saw  of  poor  Jack. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  191 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Will  bring  us  into  port. 

THE  next  morning  we  were  out  of  the  Gulph, 
and  the  sky  was  as  blue,  the  wind  as  fair,  and  the 
sun  as  bright  and  as  warm  as  before  ;  the  waves 
again  seemed  to  leap  up  with  joy,  and  the  ship 
bounded  and  dashed  through  the  water  as  gayly  as 
ever;  and  I  should  have  forgotten  the  events  of  the 
night  before,  had  it  not  been  that  Jack  Snaggs 
was  missing  from  our  mess. 

"  Harry,"  said  Mr.  Ruffin,  the  mate. 

"Sir?"  said  I. 

"  Take  a  slush  shoe,  and  go  up  aloft  and  grease 
the  peril  of  the  maintopsail  yard  ;  the  slush  was  all 
washed  off  by  the  rain  last  night." 

"  I  don't  comprehend  you,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"Don't  what?"  exclaimed  the  mate. 

"  I  don't  comprehend  you." 

"  What  the  h is  that?  don't  spout  any  of 

your  dictionary  to  me,  but  go  do  as  I  order  you." 

All  hands,  except  the  man  at  the  wheel,  were 
aloft,  some  at  one  mast  head  and  some  at  another  ; 
there  was  no  one  to  whom  I  could  apply  for  infor 
mation,  and  I  had  not  the  most  vague  idea  of  what 


.192  HARRY   FRANCO, 

a  peril  could  be.     However,  I  thought,  I  will  go 
up  and  grease  the  maintopsail  yard  all  over,  and 
then  I  shall  be  sure  of  greasing  the  peril.     So  I 
got  a  bucket  of  warm  grease  from  the  cook,  and, 
not  without  a  good  deal  of  difficulty,  succeeded  in 
getting  it  into  the  main  top.     I  sat  the  bucket  of 
grease  down  in  the  top  to  rest  myself,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  take  a  look  at  the  maintopsail  yard, 
to   see  if  there  was   any  curious  looking  article 
about  it,  that  probably  bore  the  name  of  a  peril. 
But  I  could  see  nothing  which  apparently  needed 
greasing.    I  looked  down  on  deck  again,  and  ob 
serving  that  the  Captain  and  Mr.  Ruffin  were  busy 
on  the  quarter  deck  looking  at  the  sun,  with  their 
quadrants,  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  might  slip 
down  on  deck,  and  get  my  Blunt's  Navigator  out 
of  the  forecastle,  and  take  it  up  into  the  top  with  me, 
where  I  could  look  for  the  meaning  of  the  puzzling 
word  at  my  leisure.  I  accordingly  left  the  bucket  of 
warm  grease  standing  in  the  top,  and  slid  down  on 
deck  by  the  mainstay,  and  got  into  the  forecastle 
unperceived  ;  but  I  had  scarcely  got  the  Naviga 
tor  into  my  hand,  when  I  heard  a  terrible  outcry 
on  deck,  and  Mr.  Ruffin  calling  out  my  name  with 
all  his  might.  I  dropped  the  Navigator,  and  jump 
ed  upon  deck,  and  it  was  not  long  before  I  found 
out  the  cause  of  the  tumult. 


A  TALE   OF  THE  PANIC.  193 

Now  it  happened,  that  in  consequence  of  Cap 
tain  Gunnell  having  got  all  his  sea  clothes  wet  the 
night  before,  he  had  been  obliged  to  dress  himself 
in  his  long  shore  suit,  while  his  other  duds,  as  he 
called  them,  were  hung  up  on  the  spanker  boom 
to  dry  ;  it  being  also  clean  shirt  day  with  Mr. 
Rufiin,  he  too  had  dressed  himself  in  a  new  calico 
shirt  and  a  blue  roundabout,  for  which  he  paid  two 
pound  ten  to  a  Liverpool  tailor,  and  which  was  as 
good  as  new,  for  Mr.  Ruffin  having  a  wife  and 
half  a  dozen  children,  was  very  careful  of  his 
clothes.  Now,  Captain  Gunnell  and  Mr.  Ruflin, 
as  I  have  observed  before,  were  on  the  quarter 
deck,  taking  an  observation  of  the  sun,  but  as  the 
wind  was  drawing  aft,  and  the  ship  kept  coming 
up,  the  maintopsail  kept  dodging  against  the  sun, 
and  obstructing  their  view,  so  they  took  their  sta 
tions  amidships  directly  under  the  maintop,  where 
they  could  have  a  better  sight 

"  Does  she  rise  yet?"  asked  Capt.  Gunnell, 
putting  his  quadrant  to  his  eye,  and  turning  his 
face  upward ;  "does  she  rise,  sir?"  for  sailors 
call  every  thing  she,  even  the  sun. 

"  Ay,  a}',  sir,"  replied  the  mate,  who  also  had 
his  face  turned  upward,  with  one  eye  shut,  and 
the  other  applied  to  his  quadrant,  while  his  mouth 

was  wide  open. 

VOL,  i.  17 


194  HARRY    FRANCO, 

It  unluckily  happened  that  while  the  captain 
and  mate  were  in  this  position,  the  man  at  the 
wheel  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  to  feel  for  his  to 
bacco,  and  a  sea  striking  the  ship  at  the  same 
moment  under  the  counter,  the  wheel  was  knock 
ed  out  of  his  other  hand,  which  caused  the  ship 
suddenly  to  broach  to,  and  the  motion  overturned 
the  bucket  of  warm  grease  in  the  top,  and  down 
came  a  torrent  of  slush,  which  covered  the  Captain 
and  his  mate  from  head  to  foot ;  and  not  a  small 
quantity  found  its  way  down  Mr.  Rufim's  throat. 
Of  course  there  was  no  observation  got  that  day.  I 
cannot  pretend  to  relate  what  happened  after  I  came 
upon  deck,  for  I  was  so  much  terrified  when  I  dis 
covered  the  mischief  that  was  done,  as  to  be  quite 
beside  myself.  The  captain  ordered  Mr.  Ruffin  to 
log  me,  and  swore  he  would  send  me  back  to  the 
States  in  irons,  by  the  first  man  of  war  he  should 
meet  with,  to  be  tried  for  my  life.  He  threaten 
ed,  besides,  to  feed  me  on  bread  and  water  the  re 
mainder  of  the  voyage,  and  to  stop  all  my  wages, 
to  pay  for  his  clothes  which  I  had  spoiled. 

I  told  Captain  Gunnell  the  reason  of  my  leav 
ing  the  grease  bucket  in  the  top  ;  and  after  f  that, 
neither  he  nor  the  mate  ever  refused  to  explain 
the  meaning  of  any  term  which  I  did  not  under 
stand. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC. 


195 


It  was  more  than  two  months  after  we  left  the 
Hook,  when,  at  day  break  in  the  morning,  we 
made  the  land  on  our  lee  bow.  It  proved  to  be 
Cape  St.  Marys,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  de  la 
Plata,  and  as  the  wind  was  fair,  we  were  soon 
making  our  way  up  the  yellow  waters  of  this  fa 
mous  river.  We  passed  by  Monte  Video  with 
out  dropping  anchor,  and  on  the  fourth  day  after 
entering  the  river,  we  were  moored  in  five  fathom 
hole,  opposite  Buenos  Ayres.  Captain  Gunnell 
dressed  himself  in  his  greasy  blue  suit,  and  went 
ashore  in  the  jolly  boat.  He  sent  back  orders  to 
the  mate  not  to  allow  a  soul  to  leave  the  ship.  I 
was  grieved  to  hear  this  order,  for  I  longed  to  set 
my  feet  once  more  upon  dry  land  ;  and  the  sight 
of  the  domes  and  towers  rising  above  the  flat  roofs 
of  the  distant  city,  excited  the  strongest  curiosity 
in  me  to  have  a  nearer  view  of  them.  I  had 
heard  extravagant  stories  told  of  the  magnifi 
cence  of  the  old  churches,  which  were  erected  in 
this  city  by  the  Jesuits,  when  the  province  abound 
ed  with  gold  and  silver ;  of  crucifixes  of  solid 
ingots,  and  altars  and  images  of  gold,  sparkling 
with  precious  stones.  Night  after  night,  when 
the  labor  of  the  day  was  over,  have  I  sat  gazing  at 
the  faint  and  glimmering  lights  ashore,  until  I  fell 
asleep,  and  dreamed  of  walking  with  black  eyed 


196  HARRY    FRANCO, 

Spanish  girls  beneath  the  lofty  roof  of  some  ca 
thedral,  the  floors  of  which  were  paved  with  pure 
gold. 

But  Mr.  Rnffin  was  determined  that  dreams 
like  these  should  never  be  realized.  It  was  a  fa 
vorite  maxim  with  him,  to  obey  orders  if  you 
break  owners ;  and  I  do  not  believe  he  would 
have  consented  for  a  man  to  leave  the  ship  if  she 
had  been  sinking.  He  was  one  of  those  strict 
disciplinarians,  who  will  keep  the  letter  of  the 
law,  even  though  they  break  the  spirit  of  it  in 
so  doing. 

Jerry  Bowhorn  and  I  had  become  fast  friends, 
and  he  was  as  anxious  as  myself  to  go  ashore, 
though  from  different  motives  ;  he  wanted  to  see 
the  girls,  and  have  a  blow  out  of  grog,  and  I 
wanted  to  see  the  churches  and  hear  the  women 
talk  Spanish.  Had  Jack  Snaggs  been  living, 
we  would  have  tied  the  mate  to  the  fife  rail,  and 
gone  ashore  in  spite  of  him,  and  the  Captain's  or 
ders.  There  was  no  one  in  the  forecastle  besides 
Jerry  to  whom  I  could  have  safely  trusted  a 
plan  for  committing  such  an  outrage,  and,  even 
had  I  been  disposed  to  do  so,  we  were  all  so  tired 
and  weary  with  hard  work  when  it  came  night, 
that  we  were  glad  enough  to  lay  down  to  rest. 
There  is  nothing  which  will  so  effectually  quell 


A  TALE  OP  THE  PANIC.  397 

discontent,  and  put  an  end  to  a  revolt,  as  good  hard 
work  ;  a  man  who  is  tired  to  death  with  labor  has 
but  an  indifferent  appetite  for  treason. 

At  last  an  opportunity  offered  for  both  Jerry 
and  myself  to  gratify  our  desires.  We  had  been 
in  the  roads  almost  three  weeks,  and  we  had  not 
seen  Captain  Gunnell  during  that  time,  when  at 
the  close  of  a  dark  and  blustering  day,  he  came 
on  board  in  a  shore  boat,  which  he  dismissed  as 
soon  as  he  left  her.  I  thought  he  had  taken  a 
very  strange  time  to  visit  us,  but  I  was  glad  to 
see  him  again,  although  he  didn't  put  himself  to 
the  trouble  of  speaking  to  me.  He  was  dressed 
in  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  and  I  thought  he  looked 
remarkably  fine ;  indeed  it  was  so  long  since  I 
had  seen  any  body  besides  Mr.  RufTm  and  the 
swarthy  custom  house  officer,  that  he  must  have 
looked  very  bad  indeed  for  me  to  have  thought 
otherwise. 

As  soon  as  the  Captain  came  on  board,  he  took 
the  custon  house  officer  on  one  side,  and  I  ob 
served  they  were  in  very  earnest  conversation. 
The  officer  at  last  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and 
was  walking  away,  when  the  Captain  took  a  roll 
of  bank  bills,  as  I  supposed,  from  his  pocket 
book,  and  gave  him,  upon  which  they  resumed 

their  conversation,  and  then  the  Captain  ordered 
17* 


198  HARRY    FRANCO, 

the  jolly  boat  to  be  lowered  awa}r,  and  Jerry  and 
I  were  told  to  get  into  her.  I  obeyed  the  order 
with  great  alacrity,  thinking  an  opportunity  had 
come  of  visiting  the  city.  But  Jerry  told  me  I 
had  no  great  cause  for  rejoicing,  as  lie  understood 
perfectly  well  the  nature  of  the  expedition  on 
which  we  were  bound  ;  he  said  the  Captain  had 
chosen  a  stormy  night  for  smuggling  some  goods 
on  shore,  and  that  he  had  bribed  the  custom 
house  officer  to  assist  him  in  landing  them.  "  How 
ever,"  said  Jerry,  "  if  you  choose  to  join  me,  we 
will  work  a  traverse,  and  get  ashore  in  spite  of 
them." 

I  told  him  I  would  join  him  in  any  thing  he 
might  propose  or  undertake  short  of  murder  and 
robbery,  for  my  desire  to  go  ashore  amounted  to 
a  frenzy. 

Jerry's  supposition  proved  true  ;  the  jolly  boat 
was  filled  with  small  packages  of  light  goods, 
and  then  the  Captain  and  the  custom  house  offi 
cer  got  into  her,  and  we  shoved  off  from  the  ship, 
and  began  to  pull  in  for  the  shore,  the  second  mate 
acting  as  coxswain,  while  Jerry  and  I  pulled  at 
the  oars.  The  night  was  dark  and  stormy,  and 
the  waves  ran  high,  which  caused  us  to  make  but 
little  headway.  I  rowed  with  all  my  might,  but 
the  Captain  got  angry,  and  swore  at  me  for  not 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  199 

rowing  better.  I  had  never  been  accustomed  to 
handle  an  oar,  and  I  suppose  I  exerted  myself 
twice  as  much  as  was  necessary,  for,  by  the  time 
we  reached  the  shore,  my  hands  and  arms 
were  so  violently  cramped  I  could  hardly  move 
them. 

The  faithless  guardian  of  the  customs  pointed 
to  a  spot  opposite  to  the  Recolata,  a  spacious  ce 
metery,  with  a  large  chapel  for  the  performance  of 
the  burial  services,  as  being  the  best  and  most  se 
cure  place  to  land  the  goods  ;  but  the  boat  was 
deep,  and  there  being  no  pier,  we  could  not  ap 
proach  very  near  to  the  beach.  So  the  Captain 
asked  Jerry  if  he  thought  he  could  carry  him 
ashore  on  his  shoulders. 

"  Certainly  I  can,  sir,'*'  replied  Jerry,  "  I  could 
carry  two  just  like  you." 

"  But,  consider,"  said  Captain  Gunnell,  "I 
am  very  heavy,  much  heavier  than  you  think  I 
am." 

11  And  I  am  very  strong  in  my  back,"  replied 
Jerry,  "  I  was  always  considered  so  ;  1  once  car 
ried  old  Commodore  Pottgut  ashore  on  my  back, 
in  Ballyparaso." 

"You  did?"  said  the  Captain. 

"  To  to  sure  I  did,"  replied  Jerry,  "  when  I 
was  in  the  States'  service." 


200  HAKRY 

"  Well,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  if  you  carried 
him,  you  can  carry  me,  I  know." 

Accordingly,  Jerry  jumped  into  the  water, 
which  was  almost  up  to  his  middle,  and  Captain 
Gunnell  tucked  the  tails  of  his  coat  under  his 
arms,  and  took  the  watch  out  of  his  fob,  and  held 
it  in  his  hand  to  prevent  it  from  getting  wet  in 
case  of  an  accident,  and  then  mounted  himself 
upon  Jerry's  shoulders.  He  was  a  pretty  good 
load,  but  Jerry,  as  he  said,  was  very  strong  in 
his  back,  and  he  bore  off  his  burden  very  steadily, 
but  not  exactly  in  the  direction  of  the  shore. 
When  he  had  gone  about  three  times  the  length 
of  the  boat,  he  suddenly  stopped,  and  gave  a 
loud  scream. 

"Hush, you  rascal,"  said  the  Captain,  in  a 
suppressed  voice,  "you  will  alarm  the  guard." 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  roared  Jerry,  "  I  have  got 
the  cramp.  Oh!" 

"  Silence,  you  villain,"  exclaimed  the  Captain  ; 
"  if  you  let  me  drop,  I'll  send  you  on  board  the 
prison  ship,  and  have  you  flogged." 

"O,  Captain  Gunnell,"  again  shouted  Jerry, 
"  I  shall  let  you  drop  unless  somebody  comes  to 
my  assistance.  Come  here,  Franco,  and  lend 
me  a  hand  to  keep  the  Captain  from  falling." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  201 

"  Jump,"  said  the  second  mate,  "  before  he  lets 
the  Captain  fall." 

I  didn't  wait  to  be  ordered  a  second  time,  but 
leaped  into  the  water,  and  Jerry  seeing  me  com 
ing  towards  him,  suddenly  shook  his  burden  from 
his  shoulders,  and  called  to  me  to  follow  him,  and 
off  we  started,  leaving  the  Captain  floundering  in 
the  water.  We  soon  reached  the  shore,  and 
climbed  up  a  steep  bank,  and  ran  about  half  a 
mile,  without  stopping  either  to  speak  or  look  be 
hind  us. 


202  HARRY    FRANCO, 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Relates  what  happened  after  getting  ashore. 

"  THERE  is  no  danger,"  said  Jerry,  "  that  we 
shall  be  pursued  to-night,"  as  we  stopped  to  take 
breath,  "  so  let  us  find  a  place  to  lodge  in,  and  in 
the  morning  we  will  lojok  about  us." 

Although  I  was  wet  and  weary,  my  hands  co 
vered  with  blisters,  and  the  night  was  dark,  and 
the  wind  was  cold,  yet  my  spirits  were  light  as  a 
feather.  The  uncertainty  of  our  prospects,  and 
a  curiosity  to  see  what  the  morning's  light  would 
reveal,  kept  my  thoughts  from  dwelling  on  the 
destitute  condition  in  which  we  were  placed. 
We  were  outside  of  the  town,  but  there  were  no 
indications  that  we  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  a  populous  city,  and  there  was  neither  a  tree, 
nor  a  house  to  be  seen.  It  was  as  still  and  as 
desolate  as  the  great  desert. 

"  Come,"  said  Jerry,  "  let  us  get  amongst  the 
houses,  and  I  will  soon  hunt  out  something  to  eat, 
and  a  bed,  never  fear." 

"  Have  you  got  any  money  ?"  I  inquired,  for 
I  began  to  fear  it  would  be  no  easy  matter  to 
procure  food  and  lodging  without  it. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  203 

" Not  so  much  as  would  jingle  on  a  tomb 
stone,"  replied  Jerry,  "but  I  have  got  something 
that  we  can  make  a  raise  with,  I  dare  say  ;  here's 
the  captain's  watch.  I  caught  it  out  of  his  hand 
to  keep  it  from  getting  wet,  and  forgot  to  stop 
and  return  it  to  him." 

I  was  very  sorry  to  hear  this,  and  told  Jerry 
I  would  never  consent  to  his  selling  the  watch, 
nor  take  any  part  of  the  proceeds  of  it ;  but  he 
succeeded  in  silencing  my  scruples,  by  reminding 
me  that  the  wages  which  were  due  us,  and  the 
clothes  which  we  had  left  behind,  would  repay  the 
captain  for  the  loss  of  his  watch. 

We  turned  our  faces  towards  the  city,  and 
soon  found  ourselves  in  a  dark,  narrow  street, 
with  low,  flat-roofed  houses  on  each  side,  having 
windows  with  iron  bars  and  gratings,  which  gave 
them  the  appearance  of  prisons.  We  walked 
some  distance  down  this  street  without  meeting 
any  one,  or  seeing  a  light  in  any  of  the  houses. 
At  length  we  came  to  a  house  which  give  some 
evidences  of  its  being  inhabited.  A  light  was 
streaming  from  a  half-opened  door,  into  which  I 
peeped,  and  discovered  a  swarthy  looking  man 
with  long  black  hair  hanging  down  his  shoulders; 
he  wore  a  conical  shaped  red  cap,  and  a  green 
jacket,  embroidered  with  silk  braid ;  he  was  sit- 


204  HARRY    FRANCO, 

ting  on  a  lo\v  stool,  singing  in  a  subdued  voice, 
and  thrumming  on  a  guitar  ;  at  a  table,  on  which 
were  standing  a  brown  jug  and  two  or  three  tum 
blers,  were  seated  two  men  dressed  similarly  to 
the  other,  apparently  amusing  themselves  by 
making  passes  at  each  other  with  long,  murder 
ous-looking  knives,  which  they  parried  with  great 
dexterity ;  they  formed  a  highly  "picturesque  group ; 
but  thinking  the  society  of  gentlemen  who  amused 
themselves  after  such  a  fashion,  not  very  desirable, 
we  continued  our  walk  in  search  of  a  house  of 
more  promising  appearance,  until  we  came  to  a 
cross  street,  which  by  the  aid  of  a  very  dim  lamp 
we  discovered  was  the  Calle  Vicntc  Cinco  dc 
Mayo.  By  the  captain's  watch  it  was  near  mid 
night,  and  we  began  to  be  apprehensive  that  we 
should  be  compelled  to  spend  a  sleepless  and  a 
supperless  night  in  the  streets,  for  we  could  nei 
ther  see  a  soul  stirring,  nor  catch  the  glimpse  of  a 
light  in  any  of  the  houses.  As  we  stood  hesitating 
which  way  to  turn  next,  our  ears  were  suddenly 
gladdened  by  a  shout  of  many  voices  from  the 
house  opposite  to  where  we  were  standing,  and 
the  oaths  and  expressions  which  we  heard  assured 
us  they  were  not  uttered  by  Spaniards.  We 
knocked  loudly  at  the  door  of  the  house  without 
any  hesitation,  and  it  was  soon  opened  by  a  tall 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  205 

muscular  looking  man  in  a  blue  jacket,  who  ex 
claimed,  upon  seeing  us,  "  d  —  n  your  souls,  what 
do  you  want?" 

"  We  want  something  to  eat,  and  a  bed,"  said 
Jerry. 

"  The  divil  take  your  carcasses  then,"  said  the 
man,  "  why  didn't  you  come  before  ?" 

"Because  we  couldn't  get  ashore,"  replied 
Jerry. 

"  Have  you  run  away  from  your  ship  ?"  asked 
the  man. 

"  Yes,  Sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Yankees  too.  Och  faith,  it  is  all  right ;  come 
in,  and  go  back  into  the  abbey,  and  tell  the  cook 
to  give  you  some  beef.  But  stop,  and  take  a  drop 
of  brandy  first."  We  walked  in,  and  he  bolted 
the  door  again. 

There  \vere  about  twenty  sailors  seated  at  a 
long  table,  with  cards  in  their  hands,  pipes  in  their 
mouths,  and  glasses  standing  before  them.  They 
had  apparently  just  arrived  at  that  point  in  good 
fellowship  and  merry-making,  where  a  man  feels 
himself  impelled  to  call  his  friend  a  thief  and  a 
liar,  and  to  strike  any  one  in  the  face  who  may 
happen  to  sit  along  side  of  him.  But  as  Jerry 
and  myself  were  perfectly  sober,  of  course  we  felt 
no  disposition  to  participate  in  their  boisterous 

VOL.  i.  18 


206 

mirth,  but  on  the  contrary  we  regarded  them  witli 
feelings  which  would  have  done  honor  to  a  teto- 
taller.  We  passed  on  through  this  apartment, 
preceded  by  the  man  who  admitted  us,  into  a 
little  square  building,  which  he  called  the  "  round 
house  ;"  here  he  ordered  the  cook,  who  was  a 
one-legged  old  sailor,  to  give  us  some  supper. 
The  cook  placed  before  us,  with  very  little  delay, 
a  huge  piece  of  roast  beef,  a  couple  of  very  small 
loaves  of  bread,  and  a  pitcher  of  aqua  vitae. 

When  the  keen  edge  of  our  appetites  was  taken 
off,  we  asked  the  cook,  who  was  solacing  himself 
with  a  paper  segar,  what  the  name  of  our  enter 
tainer  was. 

"  None  of  your  gammon,  my  coveys,"  replied 
the  cook,  "  you  know  Jemmy  as  well  as  I  do." 

"  If  that  is  the  name  of  the  landlord  here,"  I 
replied,  "  I  can  swear  that  I  never  heard  of  him 
before." 

The  cook  having  given  vent  to  his  astonish 
ment  in  a  multitude  of  curious  oaths,  informed  us 
that  our  entertainer  was  Irish  Jemmy,  who  had 
deserted  many  years  before  from  an  English  Sloop 
of  War,  but  who  now  kept  a  house  for  runaway 
sailors,  and  who  was  universally  known  as  the 
sailors'  friend. 

"  Jemmy  is  the  best  man  as  ever  lived,"  said  the 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  207 

cook  ;  "  he  will  feed  you  on  beef  and  rum  as  long 
as  you  have  a  mind  to  stay  in  his  house,  and  never 
ask  you  when  you  are  going ;  and  when  you  do 
go,  if  you  havn't  got  a  jacket,  he'll  give  you  one. 
But  then  you  musn't  make  him  mad." 

"  Ah,"  said  Jerry,  "  who  would  make  such  a 
man  mad  ?" 

"  Why,  you  might  do  it  by  accident,  and  then 
he  would  as  lief  kill  you  as  drink  a  horn  of  bran 
dy,"  replied  the  cook. 

"He  never  did  kill  any  one,  did  he  ?"  I  asked, 
somewhat  alarmed  at  the  cook's  account. 

"  He  shot  his  wife  wonst  in  this  very  blessed 
room,"  replied  the  cook,  in  a  low  voice,  "  Cos 
as  she  disputed  him  when  he  was  swipy." 

"  And  why  didn't  the  authorities  arrest  him, 
and  hang  him,"  I  asked. 

"  What,  just  for  shooting  his  wife  ?"  replied  the 
cook  ;  "you  may  tell  your  mammy  when  you  see 
her,  they  don't  do  such  things  in  this  here  coun 
try.  Besides,  if  she  didn't  wish  to  be  shooted,  she 
oughtent  to  have  disputed  him  ;  warnt  he  her  hus-* 
band  ?  Sarved  her  right." 

"Did  she  die?"  Tasked. 

"  Dead  as  a  door  nail.  And  now  he's  got 
another  reg'lar  nice  young  heifer,"  replied  the 
cook. 


: 


208  HARRY    FRANCO, 

"  Of  course,"  replied  Jerry,  <(  he  never  so  much 
as  winks  one  of  his  blackguard  eyes  at  his  custom 
ers,  if  he  does  shoot  his  wives." 

"  Don't  lie  ?"  replied  the  cook  ;  "  why  bless  yer 
heart,  'twas  him  as  broke  my  leg,  cos  I  made  him 
mad." 

"  He  break  your  leg,"  said  Jerry,  letting  his 
knife  fall. 

"  To  be  sure  he  did,"  replied  the  cook,  "  what 
on  it.  I  dont  care ;  he's  got  to  find  me  in  grul 
all  the  rest  o'  my  days,  besides  all  the  new  duck 
I  want  for  frocks  and  trowsers.  I  am  nothing  but 
an  old  bugger,  it  makes  no  odds  whether  I've  got 
one  leg  or  two  ;  I'm  not  running  arter  the  gals, 
like  you  young  chaps." 

"  Are  you  an  American  ?"  I  asked,  feeling  my 
sympathies  excited  for  the  old  cook. 

"  Me  a  yankee  !"  replied  the  cook,  disdainfully. 
"No,  I  am  a  reg'lar  born  cockerny.  Do  you 
know  what  that  is?  A  real  citizen  of  Lunnun," 
he  continued,  answering  his  own  question  ;  "  and 
do  you  know  what  makes  me  a  citizen  of  Lun 
nun  ?" 

"  I  suppose  it  is  because  you  were  born  there," 
I  replied. 

"No,  that  aint  it,  young  feller,"  he  replied, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  209 

*'  Because  you  were  born  in  Bow  Bells,"   re 
plied  Jerry. 

"  That  aint  it,"  said  the  cook.  "  It's  because  I 
was  born  in  the  cells  of  New-Gate,  you  green 
horn;  I  knew  you  couldn't  tell."  And  so  saying", 
the  old  cook  hobbled  away  with  the  remains  of 
the  beef,  chuckling  at  the  recollection  of  his  illus 
trious  birth. 

I  was  not  particularly  well  pleased  with  the 
cook's  account  of  Irish  Jemmy,  so  I  proposed  to 
Jerry  to  start  for  the  pampas  in  the  morning,  and 
wait  there  until  our  ship  should  sail.  Jerry  agreed 
to  do  so  ;  and  as  he  had  fortunately  brought  a 
pistol  ashore  with  him,  he  swore  if  Irish  Jemmy 
offered  to  harm  a  hair  of  my  head,  he  would  shoot 
him  without  any  hesitation.  But  as  we  had  eaten 
Jemmy's  beef,  and  drank  his  brandy,  I  told  Jerry 
we  would  first  talk  about  paying  him,  and  then  we 
could  shoot  him  afterwards,  if  there  should  be  any 
necessity  fordoing  so. 

Jerry  acknowledged  this  was  right  and  proper, 
and  said  he  would  leave  the  Captain's  watch  in 
pledge,  until  we  might  return.  But  when  we 
proposed  it  to  Jemmy,  he  would  listen  to  no  such 
thing. 

"  Tut,  tut,"  he  said,  "  don't  bother  me  with  your 

nonsense.     Put  up  your  watch  ;  you  may  eat  and 

18* 


210  HARRY  FRANCO, 

drink  here  as  loug  as  you  like  in  welcome,  for 
nothing,  if  you  only  pay  me  out  of  your  advance, 
when  you  get  a  ship." 

He  said  we  might  go  out  into  the  camp  if  we 
chose,  and  if  we  escaped  the  Montaneros  and  the 
Indians,  we  should  find  a  hearty  welcome  at  any 
estancia  or  saladara,  that  we  might  fall  in  with, 
where,  if  we  were  fond  of  jerked  beef  and  farina, 
we  might  stay  forever,  and  no  questions  would  he 
asked  us. 

We  were  delighted  to  hear  so  good  an  account 
of  the  hospitable  habits  of  the  Gauchos,  and  retir 
ed  to  bed,  with  an  intention  of  setting  out  for  the 
country  as  soon  as  it  should  be  light.  But  the 
fleas  prevented  us  from  closing  our  eyes,  and  as  we 
found  it  was  impossible  to  sleep,  we  set  off  before 
the  day  broke. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  211 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Adventures  in  the  Pampas,  a  Pampara,  &c. 

WE  made  our  exit  from  the  town  by  the  same 
narrow  street  through  which  we  entered  it  the  night 
before ;  and  we  made  such  good  use  of  our  legs, 
that  by  the  time  the- sun  peeped  up  above  the  level 
plain,  which  lay  stretched  out  to  the  horizon  before 
us,  we  could  see  nothing  of  the  city  at  our  backs, 
but  the  domes  and  spires  of  the  churches  and  con 
vents.  Magnificent  objects  they  were  at  a  distance; 
but  a  near  view  of  their  dilapidated  walls,  and  the 
nasty  finery  of  their  interiors,  completely  dispelled 
all  the  bright  dreams  in  which  I  had  indulged  of 
their  splendor.  Alas  !  alas !  that  the  Cross  of 
Christ  should  be  elevated  on  a  towering  dome, 
only  to  designate  a  collection  of  every  thing  that 
is  wretched  in  taste  and  blasphemous  in  art. 

We  continued  to  trudge  on  without  meeting 
with  either  Gauchos  or  Montaneros  ;  and  as  the 
day  advanced,  and  our  hunger  increased,  we  be 
gan  to  have  serious  misgivings  of  getting  neither 
jerked  beef  nor  farina  for  our  dinners.  But  we  walk 
ed  sturdily  on,  neither  being  willing  to  give  out  first, 
and  at  last  we  descried  a  clump  of  trees,  at  the  appa- 


212  HARRY    FRANCO, 

rent  distance  of  two  or  three  miles,  and  shaped  our 
course  for  them,  expecting  to  find  an  estancia  ;  but 
on  reaching  them,  they  proved  to  be  a  small  or 
chard  of  peach  trees,  with  the  walls  of  a  house 
standing  near,  which  appeared  recently  to  have 
been  burned.  The  house  was  surrounded  by  a 
deep  ditch,  with  a  small  draw  bridge.  We  look 
ed  for  something  eatable,  but  in  vain.  As  we  were 
leaving  the  place,  we  discovered  a  party  of  horse 
men  approaching,  so  we  halted  for  them  to  come 
up.  As  they  were  riding  at  a  furious  gallop,  it 
was  not  long  before  they  were  along  side  of  us. 
There  were  four  of  them  ;  fine  cut-throat  looking 
rascals  they  were.  The  foremost  and  youngest  of 
them,  was  a  noble  looking  fellow,  and  he  sat  as 
easily  and  as  gracefully  upon  his  horse's  back,  as 
though  he  had  been  born  there.  His  face  was  full 
and  swarthy,  his  shoulders  broad,  and  his  eyes 
black  and  fiery;  his  long  glossy  black  hair  stream 
ed  upon  the  wind  as  he  rode.  On  his  head  he  wore 
a  broad  brimmed  hat,  and  over  his  shoulders  a 
scarlet  poncho,  the  simplest,  but  most  graceful  co 
vering  ever  worn  upon  a  man's  back.  His  legs 
were  bare.  The  other  three  were  leaner  and 
dirtier,  and  their  ponchos  were  coarse  and  ragged. 
One  of  the  horsemen  spoke  to  us  in  Spanish, 
which  neither  of  us  could  understand  j  but  Jerry 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  213 

supposing  they  asked  us  what  we  were  in  search  of, 
replied,  "  very  much  of  the  beef  and  the  farina, 
signers."  This  they  understood  as  little  as  we  had 
understood  them,  and  they  directly  saluted  us  in  a 
manner  which  we  could  not  fail  to  feel,  if  we  did 
not  understand. 

The  fine  looking  fellow  in  the  red  poncho,  drew 
his  sabre,  and  gave  Jerry  a  hearty  thwack  across 
his  shoulders,  with  the  flat  of  it ;  and  one  of  the 
ragged  rascals  at  the  same  time  complimented  me 
in  a  similar  manner,  with  the  handle  of  a  spear, 
which  he  carried  in  his  hand.  This  had  a  similar 
effect  upon  both  of  us,  for,  without  any  concerted 
action,  we  immediately  took  to  our  legs  and  scam 
pered  for  life;  but  we  soon  found  ourselves  stretch 
ed  upon  the  ground,  for  these  fine  fellows  had,  with 
inconceivable  dexterity,  contrived  to  throw  a  small 
cord  around  our  heels,  with  which  they  tripped  us 
up.  Finding  it  was  impossible  to  escape,  we  made 
no  further  attempt,  and  our  captors  having  bestow 
ed  two  or  three  more  whacks  upon  our  shoulders, 
motioned  to  us  to  get  up  behind  them.  As  I  had 
taken  a  fancy  to  the  wearer  of  the  scarlet  poncho, 
I  mounted  behind  him,  and  Jerry  got  up  behind 
the  ruffian  who  had  belabored  me  with  the  handle 
of  his  spear.  We  were  no  sooner  mounted,  than 
away  they  started  at  a  hard  gallop  ;  it  was  with  the 


214  HARRY    FRANCO, 

greatest  difficulty  that  I  made  out  to  keep  my  seat. 
I  clung  to  the  scarlet  poncho  with  all  my  might, 
and  came  near  two  or  three  times  bringing  both 
the  wearer  of  it  and  myself  to  the  ground,  for  which 
I  was  favored  with  some  of  the  choicest  curses  in 
the  Gaucho  dialect.  We  rode  for  more  than  an 
hour,  without  in  the  least  slackening  our  speed. 
By  and  by,  we  came  to  an  enclosure,  where  there 
were  a  great  number  of  horses.  The  Gauchos  dis 
mounted,  and  caught,  with  their  lassos,  fresh  horses 
for  themselves,  and  for  Jerry  and  myself.  When 
they  were  remounted,  they  motioned  to  us  to  fol 
low  them,  and  off  they  started  again  at  a  full  gal 
lop,  and  off  came  Jerry  and  myself,  almost  simul 
taneously.  Fortunately,  neither  of  us  was  hurt  by 
the  fall,  so  we  mounted  again,  and  started  once 
more,  and  succeeded  in  keeping  our  seats  ;  we  had 
no  saddles,  and  it  was  terrible  hard  riding,  for  we 
galloped  very  hard.  Soon,  however,  my  blood 
became  heated,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  we 
scoured  over  the  plain,  excited  my  feelings,  and  I 
experienced  a  sensation  of  wild  delight,  which  I 
had  never  felt  before.  I  forgot  my  hunger,  my 
bruises,  my  perilous  situation,  and  the  aimless 
journey  on  which  I  was  bound,  and  thought  how 
happy  I  should  be  if  I  could  but  ride  on  forever 
over  those  boundless  plains. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  215 

These  sensations  lasted  but  a  short  time ;  our 
horses  began,  after  a  while,  to  flag1,  their  motions 
became  more  uneasy,  and  my  blood  began  to 
cool,  and  feelings  of  hunger  and  weariness  began 
to  oppress  me.  The  sun  was  sinking  in  the  west, 
and  a  heavy,  dull  looking  cloud,  apparently 
charged  with  rain,  and  wind,  and  lightning,  was 
rising  in  the  opposite  direction,  when  we  came  to 
another  roofless  house,  with  blackened  and  smoky 
walls,  exactly  like  the  one-  we  had  left.  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch,  with  a  draw  bridge, 
but  there  were  no  peach  trees  near  it.  There  was 
a  drove  of  cattle  grazing  near,  and  one  of  our 
captors  caught  a  young  bullock  with  a  lasso  by 
his  hind  heels,  and  brought  him  to  the  ground  ; 
and  another  of  the  Gauchos  severed  the  head  of 
the  animal  from  his  body;  it  was  quick  work. 
We  all  dismounted,  and  from  the  movement  of 
the  Gauchos,  Jerry  perceived  that  they  intended 
to  cook  the  bullock.  So  we  set  ourselves  to  work, 
to  collect  together  a  heap  of  sticks,  over  which 
they  erected  a  gallows,  from  which  they  suspended 
the  carcass,  without  even  divesting  it  of  its  skin. 
One  of  the  Gaucho's  took  a  little  pouch  from  be 
neath  a  scarlet  girdle,  which  he  wore  around  his 
waist,  and  having  struck  a  light,  he  set  fire  to 
the  heap  of  sticks,  which  cracked  and  snapped 


21G  HARRY    FRANCO, 

right  merrily,  and  crisped  the  hide  of  the  bullock. 
This  manner  of  roasting  beef  was  entirely  novel 
to  me,  and  under  other  circumstances,  I  might  not 
have  regarded  it  with  very  pleasant  yearnings  ; 
but  as  it  was,  my  mouth  watered  as  I  stirred  up 
the  fire,  and  the  carcass  hissed,  and  cracked,  and 
sputtered.  My  appetite  was  so  keen,  it  appeared 
to  me  the  heighth  of  human  bliss  to  sit  down  to 
sup  off  a  whole  ox. 

It  grew  dark  very  suddenly,  and  the  sky  was 
completely  overcast  with  clouds.  The  fire,  as  we 
stirred  it  up,  and  added  fresh  fagots,  cast  around 
a  lurid  glare,  which  fell  upon  the  forms  of  the 
Gauchos,  who  were  stretched  out  upon  the  ground, 
wrapped  in  their  ponchos,  taking  a  nap,  while  the 
bullock  was  roasting ;  the  grazing  cattle  and  the 
blackened  walls  of  the  house  were  the  only  other 
objects  which  the  light  revealed.  It  was  a  scene 
of  savage  pic4uresqueness,  and  I  should  have  en 
joyed  it  highly,  had  I  not  been  so  hungry.  When 
we  thought  the  beef  was  sufficiently  roasted,  we 
let  the  fire  go  down,  and  called  up  the  Gauchos, 
who  began  immediately  to  rake  away  the  coals, 
and  make  preparation  for  taking  the  bullock  down. 
But  they  suddenly  stopped,  and  having  listened  for 
a  moment  with  hushed  breath,  they  began  to  ex 
tinguish  the  flaming  embers,  and  to  smother  the 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  217 

fire  by  throwing1  sand  upon  it.  Judging  from  the 
earnestness  with  which  they  set  themselves  to  work, 
we  conjectured  they  had  some  good  cause  for  do 
ing  so,  and  we  aided  them  with  all  our  might. 
Presently  the  sound  of  horses'  feet  was  heard, 
which  grew  plainer  and  plainer  every  moment ; 
the  practised  ears  of  the  Gauchos  had  enabled 
them  to  distinguish  it  long  before  it  reached  ours. 
Having  extinguished  the  fire,  they  caught  their 
horses  and  mounted  them,  and  Jerry  and  I  were 
about  to  do  the  same,  when  one  of  the  Gauchos 
struck  me  across  the  shoulders  with  his  sabre,  and 
throwing  me  the  end  of  his  lasso,  the  other  being 
fastened  to  a  ring  in  his  saddle,  pointed  to  the 
roasted  carcass,  to  which  I  made  it  fast.  I  then 
mounted  my  horse  ;  the  Gauchos  appeared  im 
patient  to  be  gone,  but  they  walked  their  horses, 
dragging  the  roasted  bullock  after  them,  and 
Jerry  and  I  followed  in  the  rear.  The  tramp  of 
horses'  feet  approaching  us,  grew  more  and  more 
distinct,  and  from  the  sound  there  appeared  to  be 
a  numerous  troop.  TheGaucho  who  was  drag 
ging  along  the  carcass,  finding  it  an  incurnbrance, 
cast  off  his  lasso  and  left  it  behind  him.  We  con 
tinued  to  walk  our  horses  a  little  further,  and  then 
we  came  to  a  halt.  The  horsemen  from  whom 

we  were   fleeing  were,  as   I  judged  from  the  ex- 
VOL.  i.  19 


218  HARRY   FRANCO, 

clamations  of  our  captors,  a  party  of  Indians,  who 
were  attracted  by  the  light  of  our  fire.  If  they 
had  surprised  us,  they  would  have  cut  our  throats 
first,  and  then  regaled  themselves  with  the  bullock 
which  we  had  been  roasting  for  our  supper  ;  a  con 
summation,  which  it  was  any  thing  but  pleasant  to 
anticipate. 

From  the    actions  of  the  Gauchos,  I  concluded 

they   considered   themselves   in  danger  of  being 

surprised,    and    I  was    impatient  to    start   off  on 

a    gallop.       Our    safety,    however,    was    in    the 

pitchy    darkness    of   the     night,     which    almost 

prevented  our    seeing  each    other,   although   we 

were  closely  huddled  together.     By  and  by,  the 

horsemen  reached  the  spot  which  we  had  left,  and 

came  to  a  halt.     They  raked  open  the  coals,  which 

sent  up  a  few  glimmering  sparks,  but  not  light 

enough  to  reveal  the  forms  of  the  marauders.    We 

could  hear  them  yelling  and  shouting,  apparently 

giving  vent  to  their  disappointment  in  not  finding 

their  expected  prey.     Presently  we  heard  them  in 

motion  again,  and  I  thought  they  were  going  to 

continue  on  their  way,  but  my  heart  died  within 

me,  when  I  discovered  that  they  were  riding  in  a 

circuit  around   us,   probably  supposing  that  we 

were  somewhere  in  their  immediate  neighborhood. 

From  the  sound  of  the  horses'   feet,  there  must 


A  TAL^  OF  THE  PANIC.  219 

have  been  at  least  thirty  of  them.  Round  and 
round  they  rode,  sometimes  approaching  us  so 
closely,  that  we  could  hear  their  voices,  as  they 
muttered  to  themselves.  The  Gauchos  held  their 
breaths,  and  ground  their  teeth ;  they  kept  their 
sabres  in  their  hands,  and  their  horses  reined  up 
ready  for  a  start.  Jerry  and  myself  were  closely 
huddled  together,  but  we  were  afraid  to  speak, 
even  in  a  whisper  ;  he  trembled  like  a  leaf,  and 
whether  I  trembled  or  not,  I  came  near  dying  with 
fright.  I  (bought  that  my  time  was  come,  and  the 
prophecy  of  my  cousin  about  to  be  fulfilled.  I 
saw  myself,  in  imagination,  with  my  throat  cut 
from  ear  to  ear,  blasting  upon  a  desert  plain,  and 
I  thought  of  my  poor  mother,  and  my  heart  bro 
ken  sister.  The  horsemen,  Indians  or  Monta- 
neros,  or  whatever  they  were,  continued  to  ride 
around  and  about  us,  sometimes  almost  touching 
us  as  they  flew  past.  Once  I  thought  I  could  dis 
tinguish  a  dusky  form,  but  before  I  could  assure 
myself  of  it,  it  was  lost  in  the  darkness.  At  last 
the  troop  halted  again,  and  after  giving  another 
yell,  they  galloped  back  in  the  direction  which 
they  came,  and  as  the  sound  of  their  horses'  feet 
grew  fainter  and  fainter,  my  heart  grew  stouter 
and  stouter,  and  by  the  time  the  sound  had  died 
entirely  away,  thoughts  of  the  roasted  bullock  be- 


220  HARRY    FRANCO, 

gan  to  intrude  themselves  into  my  mind.  Doubt 
less,  the  musings  of  the  Gauchos  were  running  in 
the  same  direction,  for  they  dismounted  from  their 
horses,  and  groped  their  way  back  to  the  ruined 
house  which  we  had  left,  feeling  about  on  the 
ground,  as  they  went,  and  Jerry  and  I  did  the 
same,  but  without  finding  the  bullock.  Strangely 
enough,  we  were  unable  to  find  it  at  all,  and  the 
Gauchos  each  lighted  a  paper  cigar,  and  crawled 
up  alongside  of  the  half  demolished  house,  and 
stretched  themselves  out  to  sleep.  Happy  fellows, 
they  could  solace  themselves  with  the  unsubstan 
tial  fumes  of  a  paper  cigar,  and  take  their  rest  on 
the  bare  ground  without  inconvenience.  Jerry 
and  myself  sat  together  on  the  ground,  conjectur 
ing  the  probable  motives  of  the  Gauchos  in  making 
us  their  captives,  and  offering  such  encourage 
ment  to  each  other,  as  our  minds  could  suggest. 

Although  the  sky  was  filled  with  black  and 
heavy  clouds,  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind 
stirring.  The  atmosphere  was  warm  and  op 
pressive,  and  I  experienced  a  difficulty  of  respira 
tion.  The  horizon  in  the  south-east  had  for  some 
time  been  constantly  illuminated  with  flashes  of 
lightning,  and  every  thing  seemed  to  give  notice 
of  an  approaching  storm.  One  of  the  Gauchos 
started  up,  and  exclaimed,  "pampara,"  upon  which 


A    TALE    OP    THE    PANIC.  221 

the  others  withdrew  from  beneath  the  walls  of  the 
house,  and  drew  their  porichoes  closely  about  them, 
and  lay  down  again  in  an  exposed  spot.  I  looked 
to  the  east,  and  discovered  the  cause  of  the  Gau- 
cho?s  exclamation.  A  bright  yellowish  cloud  was 
rising  rapidly  above  the  horizon,  and  spreading 
itself  over  the  sky  ;  we  were  not  kept  long  in 
ignorance  of  its  quality,  for  it  soon  burst,  and  a 
gust  of  wind  and  hail  swept  over  us,  compared 
with  which  the  hardest  gale  I  had  ever  experienced 
was  a  gentle  zephyr.  It  was  well  with  the  Gau- 
chos  that  they  had  crawled  away  from  the  walls 
of  the  house,  for  they  were  prostrated  in  a  moment. 
As  we  were  unable  to  stand  upon  our  feet,  we 
threw  ourselves  upon  the  ground,  with  our  faces 
down,  and  a  cloud  of  dust  and  leaves,  branches 
of  trees,  sticks,  hail-stones,  and  fire,  passed  over 
our  backs.  I  was  expecting  every  moment  to 
hear  the  troop  of  horsemen  rush  by  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind.  The  uproar  and  hurly  burly  of  the 
elements  did  not  continue  long ;  but  when  the  tumult 
began  to  subside,  the  rain  began  to  pour  down  in 
torrents.  The  Gauchos  raised  themselves  upr 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  muttered  their  prayers, 
and  laid  down  again,  and  apparently  they  soon  fell 
asleep.  But  I  was  not  used  to  sleeping  under 
19* 


222  HARRY   FRANCO, 

such  circumstances,  and,  if  I  could  have  slept  with 
the  rain  pouring  down  upon  me,  my  fears  would 
have  kept  me  awake.  Jerry  himself  was  nodding, 
and  I  was  left  alone  to  my  reflections. 

It  was  very  evident  that  the  Gauchos  had  no 
intention  of  robbing  us,  for  they  had  made  no 
attempt  to  search  our  persons,  and  I  could  not 
believe  that  they  had  made  captives  of  us  for  the 
mere  pleasure  of  beating  us  ;  the  only  use  to 
which  I  imagined  they  could  put  us,  was  to  com 
pel  us  to  join  them  on  some  perilous  expedition 
against  the  Indians.  „ 

That  was  an  enterprise  for  which  I  had  not  the 
least  possible  inclination.  There  was  neither 
profit  nor  honor  to  be  gained  in  it ;  nothing  that 
would  enable  me  either  to  gain  the  affections  of 
Georgiana  De  Lancey,  or  to  triumph  over  my 
haughty  cousin.  Weak  and  exhausted  as  I  was, 
and  hopeless  as  the  attempt  seemed,  I  resolved  to 
make  an  effort  to  escape,  and  find  my  way  back 
to  Buenos  Ayres.  It  so  happened  that  on  the 
afternoon  in  which  I  left  the  ship,  I  had  taken  the 
pocket  handkerchief  of  Georgiana  De  Lancey, 
and  tied  it  about  my  neck  underneath  my  shirt, 
and  now  pressing  it  to  my  heart,  I  thought  of  its 
lovely  owner,  and  the  blood  seemed  to  start  with 
quickened  pulsations  through  my  veins  ;  it  gave 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  223 

me  new  life  and  fresh  vigor  to  go  through  with 
my  resolution. 

I  jogged  my  companion,  and  told  him  what  I 
had  resolved  to  do ;  he  was  at  first  loth  to  join  me, 
fearing  that,  if  the  Gauchos  should  awake  before 
we  could  make  our  escape,  they  would  murder  us 
for  making  the  attempt.  But  I  soon  prevailed 
upon  him  to  accompany  me,  and  we  crept  away 
from  where  the  Gauchos  were  sleeping,  upon  our 
hands  and  knees,  until  we  were  securely  out  of 
their  hearing.  We  were  lucky  in  catching  two 
of  the  horses  which  were  within  the  enclosure  of 
the  ditch,  and  having  walked  them  quietly  over 
the  little  bridge,  we  mounted  them,  and  turning 
our  backs  to  the  rain,  galloped  away  as  fast  as 
they  would  carry  us.  I  felt  at  first  very  stiff  and 
sore,  but  the  motion  of  the  horse  soon  made  me 
feel  warm  and  supple.  We  galloped  away  at  the 
imminent  risk  of  breaking  our  necks  till  daylight 
appeared,  when  the  rain  began  to  abate,  and  the 
wind  to  lull.  We  were  far  enough  from  the  Gau 
chos  to  have  no  fear  of  them ;  but  there  was  no 
house  in  sight,  and  I  felt  that  I  could  not  hold  out 
much  longer  without  food  or  rest.  We  continued 
to  ride  until  the  sun  was  above  the  horizon,  when 
our  eyes  were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  a  house, 
a  long  way  off,  with  wreaths  of  blue  smoke  as- 


224  HARRY   FRANCO, 

cending  from  the  chimney ;  it  was  the  most  beau 
tiful  sight  that  ever  met  my  eyes ;  never  before 
did  smoke  find  favor  with  me.  We  turned  our 
horses'  heads  directly  for  the  smoking  chimney, 
and  wlien  we  got  to  the  house,  which  was  only  a 
rude  hut,  we  dismounted  from  our  horses,  and 
walked  in  without  any  ceremony.  Our  appear 
ance  told  our  tale ;  there  was  no  need  of  words, 
even  though  we  could  have  spoken  them.  The 
inmate  of  the  hut  understood  our  wants,  and 
treated  us  kindly.  In  the  centre  of  the  floor  was 
a  bright  fire,  on  one  side  of  which,  stuck  upon  a 
long  stick,  was  half  of  a  sheep  roasting,  and  sus 
pended  over  the  fire  from  the  end  of  a  pole  was  a 
pot  boiling  and  bubbling,  and  sending  forth  a 
savory  odor,  which  caused  the  water  to  run  out 
of  both  corners  of  my  mouth.  A  swarthy  looking 
Gaucho,  and  his  still  swarthier  wife,  with  three 
naked  children,  were  seated  on  the  bare  clay  floor 
watching  the  fire.  The  man  beckoned  us  to  the 
fire,  and  the  woman  brought  us  a  log  to  sit  upon, 
while  the  children  crowded  around  their  father's 
knees,  and  stared  at  us  with  their  fingers  in  their 
mouths. 

Jerry  observed  that  these  little  Gauchos  con 
ducted  themselves  for  all  the  world  like  the  chil 
dren  in  the  States,  for  they,  he  said,  always  put 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  225 

their  fore  fingers  in  their  mouths  when  they  saw 
a  stranger. 

By  the  time  our  clothes  were  dry,  the  mutton 
was  roasted,  and  the  Gaucho's  wife  having  spread 
it  on  a  board,  and  taken  the  pot  off  the  pole,  gave 
each  of  us  a  small  biscuit,  and  something  like  a 
squash  shell ;  the  man  motioned  to  us  to  eat,  and 
we  fell  to,  first  upon  the  roast  and  then  upon  the 
boiled,  and  then  upon  the  roast  and  then  upon 
the  boiled  again. 

It  was  a  delicious  meal.  Such  mutton  !  and 
such  soup  !  The  G audio  and  the  Gaucho's  wife 
looked  at  us  with  amazement,  as  we  devoured  the 
fat  and  juicy  meat,  and  swallowed  the  scalding 
hot  pot  liquor.  Many  and  hearty  were  the  enco 
miums  which  Jerry  and  I  pronounced  upon  our 
entertainers  as  we  devoured  their  mutton.  Jerry 
swore  that  the  Gaucho  was  the  gentlemanliest 
man  he  had  ever  seen  in  his  life,  and  I  told  his 
wife,  although  she  could  not  understand  a  word 
of  what  I  was  saying,  that  she  was  the  hand 
somest  woman  in  the  world  but  one,  and  that  was 
Georgiana  De  Lancey. 

At  length,  our  appetites  began  to  fail  us,  and 
Jerry,  in  the  fullness  of  his  gratitude,  pulled  out 
the  Captain's  watch,  and  offered  it  to  our  host,  at 
the  same  time  turning  out  his  pockets  to  show 


226  HARRY    FRANCO, 

that  we  had  nothing  else  to  offer  in  payment  for 
our  breakfast.  The  G audio's  eyes  sparkled  at 
sight  of  the  watch,  but  he  struck  his  hand  upon 
his  breast,  and  shook  his  head  indignantly,  and 
told  us  in  very  excellent  pantomime  that  his  feel 
ings  were  hurt  by  the  offer.  I  rebuked  Jerry 
for  insulting  the  honest  man's  feelings  by  offering 
him  such  a  trifle. 

"  What,  then,  shall  we  give  him,"  said  Jerry; 
"you  know  we  hav'n't  got  a  midi  to  bless  our 
selves." 

"Give  him,"  I  replied,  "we  will  give  him 
nothing,  since  we  have  nothing  to  give  ;  but  we 
will  stay  with  him,  and  work  for  him,  to  show  our 
gratitude." 

"So  we  will,"  said  Jerry,  putting  the  watch  in 
his  fob  again  ;  "  we  will  stay  with  him  the  rest  of 
our  lives.  But  I  feel  confounded  sleepy;  let  us 
take  a  nap  on  that  pile  of  sheep  skins  in  the  cor 
ner,  and  when  we  wake  we  will  pitch  into  the 
mutton  again.  So  we  lay  down  upon  the  sheep 
skins  to  sleep,  and  when  we  awoke,  the  sun  was 
in  the  western  sky.  I  felt  greatly  refreshed,  al 
though  somewhat  stiff  and  feverish.  Perceiving 
that  the  Gaucho's  wife  was  making  preparations 
for  the  afternoon  meal,  we  got  up  and  stretched 
ourselves,  and  when  the  mutton  was  ready,  the 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  227 

Gaucho  invited  us  as  before,  and  we  began  to 
eat,  but  with  appetites  not  half  as  keen  as  they 
were  in  the  morning ;  indeed,  the  mutton  ap 
peared  to  have  lost  its  exquisite  flavor,  and  the 
pot  liquor  was  barely  palateable*  Jerry  actual* 
ly  found  fault  because  we  had  but  one  little  bis 
cuit  given  us.  He  said  he  didn't  half  like  the 
Gaucho's  looks,  and  I  was  obliged  to  confess  that 
I  thought  he  had  a  cut  throat  cast  of  the  eye.  Af 
ter  dinner  was  over,  we  sat  picking  our  teeth  in 
the  door  way  ;  I  told  Jerry  I  felt  more  like  travel 
ling  than  sleeping,  and  by  way  of  sounding  his 
feelings,  observed,  that  Buenos  Ayres  could  not 
be  a  very  long  way  off. 

Jerry  replied  that  he  did  not  think  it  was,  and 
if  I  would  say  the  word,  he  was  all  ready  to  pull 
up  stakes  and  steer  for  Irish  Jemmy's. 

I  was  glad  to  hear  him  say  so,  and  we  agreed 
to  set  off  immediately.  I  beckoned  to  the  Gau 
cho,  who  was  reclining  on  the  floor,  with  his  head 
in  his  wife's  lap,  and  the  little  Gauchos  playing 
about  him,  and  tried  to  make  him  understand 
that  we  were  going  to  set  off  for  the  city,  and 
wanted  him  to  show  us  the  way.  He  pointed  in 
the  direction  that  we  must  take,  and  we  shook 
hands  with  him  and  his  wife,  and  then  took  our 
departure  on  foot.  The  horses  that  we  rode  the 


228  HARRY    FRANCO, 

night  before  having  been  left  to  themselves,  had 
taken  themselves  off. 

The  storm  had  passed  over,  and  the  pampas 
looked  green  and  pleasant,  the  sky  was  soft  and 
blue,  and  the  sun,  though  fast  sinking  in  the 
west,  still  imparted  a  warmth  to  the  air ;  as  a  good 
man,  even  in  his  dying  moments,  will  warm  the 
soul  by  his  converse. 

We  trudged  on  in  fine  spirits,  exhilarated  by 
the  influences  of  the  weather,  and  the  happy  con 
trast  which  our  condition  bore  to  what  it  was  the 
night  before.  Jerry  pulled  out  his  pistol,  and  on 
examination,  found  it  to  be  in  good  order.  We 
resolved  to  fight  if  either  Indians,  or  Gauchos,  or 
Montaneros,  should  attack  us  again,  and  to  die 
rather  than  incur  the  risk  of  spending  another 
night  like  the  last.  We  had  advanced  about  two 
miles,  when  we  made  these  valiant  re-solves  ;  there 
was  not  a  soul  in  sight,  and  our  courage  was 
high.  The  sun  had  just  disappeared  behind  the 
horizon,  when  we  heard  the  sound  of  horses'  feet 
behind  us.  I  looked  round,  and  perceived  a 
horseman  approaching  us  on  full  gallop,  his  pon 
cho  streaming  out  behind  in  the  wind.  We  stop 
ped,  and  Jerry  pulled  out  his  pistol  and  cocked 
it.  As  the  horse  neared  us  very  fast,  we  soon 
discovered  the  rider  to  be  no  other  than  the  Gau- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  229 

cho,  whose  hut  we  had  just  left.  He  was  com 
ing  at  a  full  gallop,  and  I  perceived  him  to  raise 
himself  upon  his  stirrups  and  swing  his  lasso 
round  his  head,  and  the  next  moment  I  felt  the 
noose  drop  over  my  shoulders,  and  before  I  could 
disengage  myself  from  it,  I  was  jerked  to  the 
ground,  and  dragged  along  with  great  rapidity. 
I  heard  the  clank  of  the  Gaucho's  cutlass,  as  he 
drew  it  from  its  steel  scabbard,  and  wheeled  up 
towards  Jerry,  who  levelled  his  pistol  at  him  and 
fired.  The  Gaucho  fell  immediately  from  his  sad 
dle,  and  his  horse  stood  still.  Jerry  cut  the  lasso, 
and  disengaged  me,  but  I  was  so  terribly  frighten 
ed  I  could  not  stand  upon  my  feet  for  some  mi 
nutes  ;  my  head  swam  round,  and  I  felt  deadly 
sick  ;  the  sight  of  the  bleeding  Gaucho  was  by  no 
means  calculated  to  restore  me.  However,  I 
soon  recovered  from  my  fright,  and  began  to  as 
sist  Jerry  in  stopping  the  blood  which  gushed  out, 
thick  and  black,  from  the  wound  in  the  Gaucho's 
breast.  Unfortunately,  neither  Jerry  nor  myself 
had  on  a  linen  shirt,  but  I  tore  the  lining  out  of 
my  jacket,  and  with  it  tried  to  stop  the  wound, 
but  it  was  in  vain.  The  poor  wretch  never 
spoke  after  he  fell ;  his  eyes  were  rolled  up  in  his 
head,  and  his  teeth  ground  together.  He  was 

evidently  dead,  but  I  was  unwilling  to  leave  him. 
VOL.  i.  20 


230  HARRY   FRANCO, 

I  was  horror  struck  at  the  thought  of  our  kind 
entertainer  having  been  murdered  by  one  of  us 
who  had  so  lately  been  sheltered  beneath  his 
roof. 

"Come,"  said  Jerry,  "we  must  not  stop  to 
set  up  an  Irish  how]  over  the  blackguard  now  ; 
he's  as  dead  as  Julius  Caesar,  and  it  is  not  his 
fault  that  we  are  not  taking  our  measure  on  the 
green  sward,  with  the  heart's  blood  running  out 
of  a  hole  in  our  breasts,  instead  of  himself.  I 
am  sorry  he's  dead  though,  any  how,  for  we  eat 
his  mutton,  and  this  is  a  poor  way  of  discharging 
a  debt." 

"  Well,"  I  replied,  "  since  we  can't  restore  him 
to  life,  let  us,  at  least,  restore  his  body  to  his  poor 
wife." 

"No,  no,"  said  Jerry,  "  let  us  mount  his  horse 
and  be  off  towards  Buenos  Ayres,  or  they  will 
make  mince  meat  of  us  if  we  are  caught  here." 

So  both  of  us  mounted  the  Gaucho's  horse,  and 
rode  as  fast  as  he  would  carry  us  towards  Buenos 
Ayres. 

I  remember  having  heard  that  the  Gauchos, 
though  they  would  never  deny  a  stranger  a  shelter 
beneath  their  roof,  nor  molest  him  while  a  guest, 
yet  they  would  rob  him  if  they  could  after  he  had 
left  their  door.  This  may  not  be  true,  but  I  have 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  231 

no  doubt  of  the  intention  of  the  Gaucho  to  murder 
us,  for  the  sake  of  the  watch,  which  his  sense  of 
honor  would  not  allow  him  to  accept  as  a  present, 
while  we  were  his  guests. 

Jerry  and  I  indulged  in  a  good  many  grave 
speculations  on  this  singular  trait  of  character, 
which  helped  to  pass  away  the  time,  and  to  divert 
our  thoughts  from  the  unpleasant  situation  in 
which  we  were  placed.  We  both  came  to  the  con 
clusion,  that,  strange  and  incredible  as  it  might 
appear  for  a  man  to  treat  us  with  every  kindness, 
while  we  were  under  his  roof,  and  then  attempt  to 
rob  us  as  soon  as  we  had  left  it,  it  was  not  a  whit 
more  wonderful  than  that,  at  home,  a  man  could 
be  a  knave,  a  cheat,  and  a  turncoat  in  politics, 
and  at  the  same  time  be  a  gentleman  and  a  chris- 
tian  in  private  life. 


232  HARRY  FRANCO, 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Return  to  Buenos  Ayres  and  Departure  for  Rio. 

WHEN  the  sun  rose  the  next  morning,  the  towers 
and  domes  of  the  city  were  in  sight;  glad  enough 
we  were  to  see  them  once  more.  For  fear  of  ex 
citing  suspicion,  we  dismounted  from  our  horse 
and  proceeded  into  town  on  foot.  We  went  di 
rectly  to  Irish  Jemmy's,  where  we  learned  that  the 
Two  Marys  had  parted  her  cables,  during  the 
pampara  which  we  had  encountered  in  the  pampas, 
and  that  in  consequence  of  all  the  cargo  being  out, 
she  had  capsized  and  sunk  ;  the  water  being  shal 
low,  the  crew  had  saved  themselves  by  clinging  to 
the  tops  of  the  masts  which  were  still  out  of  water. 

We  were  now  no  longer  in  fear  of  Captain  Gun- 
nell,  and  I  prevailed  upon  Jerry  to  return  him  the 
watch.  After  having  satisfied  myself  with  ram 
bling  about  the  city,  and  having  discovered  that 
the  precious  metals  were  no  longer  the  principal 
articles  of  trafiic,  and  that  nothing  more  precious 
than  hides  and  horns  had  taken  their  place,  I  de 
termined  to  seek  my  fortune  elsewhere,  and  ac 
cordingly  I  shipped  on  board  the  brig  Juno,  bound 
to  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Jerry  had  shipped,  unbeknown 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC. 


233 


to  me,  to  go  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  in  a  slaver 
which  lay  at  Encinada.  We  parted  very  reluc 
tantly,  for  we  were  endeared  to  each  other,  and  I 
could  not  help  shedding  tears  when  I  shook  his 
hand  and  bade  him  good  bye. 

Just  ten  days  after  leaving  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
we  entered  the  magnificent  harbor  of  Rio.  I  felt 
myself  amply  repaid  for  all  the  hardships  I  had 
encountered  since  leaving  home,  by  the  sight  of 
this  beautiful  bay,  with  its  mountains  clothed  with 
eternal  green,  and  its  waters  and  sky  of  unchang 
ing  blue. 

Our  brig  lay  at  anchor,  and  after  the  cargo  was 
discharged,  I  went  ashore  one  afternoon,  to  look 
at  the  city,  and  while  I  stood  in  the  palace  square, 
watching  the  young  Emperor,  who  was  playing  in 
one  of  the  balconies  of  the  palace,  I  felt  myself 
suddenly  seized  by  the  arms,  and  looking  up,  found 
that  I  was  in  the  hands  of  a  Brazilian  naval  officer, 
who  was  accompanied  by  two  men  with  cutlasses 
in  their  hands.  The  captain  of  the  brig  had  cau 
tioned  me  before  I  went  ashore,  to  keep  an  eye  to 
windward  for  a  press  gang  who  were  picking  up 
all  the  sailors  they  could  pounce  upon  for  a  frigate 
in  the  harbor. 

As  the  officer  who  had  seized  me  by  the  arms, 
turned  to  speak  to  one  of  the  men,  I  gave  a 
20* 


234  HARRY    FRANCO, 

den  spring  and  cleared  myself  from  his  grasp.  I 
immediately  took  to  my  heels  and  ran  for  life,  the 
two  men  with  the  cutlasses  following  in  pursuit. 
Fortunately,  I  was  not  encumbered  with  any  su 
perfluous  clothing  ;  a  pair  of  duck  trowsers,  a  calico 
shirt,  and  a  light  straw  hat,  was  all  the  weight  I 
carried.  By  a  dexterous  leap  over  a  heap  of  ban- 
nanas,  I  gained  a  slight  advantage  over  my  pur 
suers  ;  away  I  went,  making  my  heels  fly,  but  with 
out  knowing  where  I  should  land.  In  turning  the 
corner  of  a  street,  I  overturned  an  old  bald-headed 
priest,  who  stood  under  an  awning,  with  a  silver 
plate  in  his  hand,  begging  patacs  of  the  passers  by  ; 
I  meant  no  disrespect  to  his  black  gown,  but  I  was 
in  too  great  a  hurry  to  stop  to  make  an  apology, 
so  I  kept  on  my  way  and  reached  the  wharf  just  as 
a  boat  was  shoving  off  with  an  American  ensign 
flying  at  her  stern.  I  gave  a  leap  and  landed  just 
inside  of  her  gunwale,  without  doing  any  other  da 
mage  than  knocking  the  skin  off  of  my  shins,  and 
breaking  in  the  corner  of  the  bowman's  tarpaulin. 

"  How  dare  you  leap  on  board  this  boat,"  ex 
claimed  a  cadaverous  looking  man,  with  an  epaulet 
on  his  shoulder,  who  sat  with  his  arms  folded  in 
the  stern  sheets. 

As  soon  as  I  recovered  my  breath,  I  explained 
the  cause  of  my  hasty  visit. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC. 


235 


"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  will  teach  you 
better  manners.  Back  water." 

The  boat  was  backed  up  along  side  of  the  stairs 
at  the  end  of  the  wharf. 

"  Go  ashore,  sir,"  said  the  man  with  the  epaulet. 

"  I  hope,  sir,"  I  replied,  "  you  will  not  turn  me 
ashore  to  the  mercy  of  the  press  gang,  from  which 
I  have  just  escaped." 

"  How  dare  you  hesitate,  you  scoundrel !"  said 
the  epauletted  gentleman,  with  severity. 

"  Because  I  am  an  American,"  I  replied, 
"  and  I  thought  I  had  a  right  to  claim  your  pro 
tection." 

"  How  do  I  know  you  are  an  American  ?" 
he  replied  snappishly.  "  Where  is  your  protec 
tion  ?" 

"I  have  got  none,"  I  answered;  "  the  ship  to 
which  I  belonged  capsized  in  a  pampara,  and  I 
lost  the  one  I  had." 

"  That  is  no  fault  of  mine,"  replied  the  officer  ; 
"  go  to  the  consul  and  get  a  certificate  from  him 
that  you  are  an  American,  and  then  I  may  allow 
you  to  go  on  board." 

There  was  another  officer  in  the  boat,  a  light 
haired  young  gentleman,  with  an  anchor  worked 
on  the  collar  of  his  jacket,  who  interfered  in  my 
behalf,  and  observed,  that  there  would  be  no 


236  HARRY   FRANCO, 

harm  in  allowing  me  to  go  on  board  the  ship,  and 
then  I  could  return  in  the  market  boat  in  the  morn 
ing,  and,  if  necessary,  the  coxswain  could  take 
me  under  his  protection  to  the  consul's  office. 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  elder  officer,  "  shove 
off." 

I  took  a  seat  in  the  bows  of  the  boat,  and  in  a 
very  few  minutes  we  were  along  side  of  the  ship. 
Two  little  boys,  looking  like  miniature  sailors, 
with  blue  shirt  collars,  and  white  duck  trowsers, 
buttoned  very  tightly  round  the  hips,  reached  out 
the  man  ropes  to  the  officers  for  them  to  ascend 
by,  and  when  they  had  left  the  boat,  I  asked 
the  bowman  the  name  of  the  ship,  and  of  the 
officers. 

"  The  name  of  the  ship,"  replied  the  bowman, 
"  is  the  sloop  of  war  Columbia,  and  the  name  of 
the  brute  who  wouldn't  allow  you  to  stay  on 
board  the  boat  is  Mr.  Wollop ;  but  all  hands  call 
him  dismal  Jerry,  except  Mike,  the  mast  man, 
and  he  calls  him  Sergeant  Longshanks  ;  he  is  first 
leftenant  of  the  ship,  but  he  is  much  fittinger  to 
be  captain  of  a  millinery  store  than  one  of  Uncle 
Sam's  ships.  The  other  officer  aint  no  officer  at 
all ;  he  is  nothing  but  a  drunken  swab  of  a  young 
gentleman  by  the  name  of  Mr.  Ruffalley." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC  237 

The  boat  being  made  fast  to  the  swinging 
boom,  I  climbed  on  board  the  ship,  and  never  hav 
ing  been  on  the  deck  of  an  armed  vessel  before,  I 
was  amazed  at  the  sight  of  such  a  number  of  men 
lounging  about  without  apparently  having  any 
thing  to  do.  ,Some  were  reading,  others  were 
sewing,  and  some  were  playing  drafts  with  the 
marines  between  the  guns.  Nobody  seemed  to 
be  doing  any  other  duty  than  amusing  themselves, 
excepting  a  sailor  dressed  in  a  snowy  white  shirt 
and  trowsers,  who  was  walking  the  poop-deck 
with  a  spy  glass  under  his  arm. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  apparent  contentment 
and  ease  of  the  sailors,  such  a  set  of  grumblers 
I  never  encountered  before  ;  they  all  agreed  that 
a  certain  unmentionable  place  would  be  a  pleasant 
abode  compared  with  their  ship.  For  my  part,  I 
thought  that  nothing  could  be  more  delightful 
than  to  lounge  about  a  ship's  deck,  with  an  awn 
ing  spread  over  your  head,  an  abundance  of 
oranges  and  bananas  to  eat,  and  the  loveliest  and 
most  picturesque  scenery  in  the  world  to  gaze  up 
on.  I  found  that  the  Columbia  had  been  almost 
three  years  on  the  station,  and  that  she  would 
soon  be  relieved,  and  I  resolved  not  to  go  ashore 
again  unless  I  was  sent. 

At  sun  down,   the  band  was  stationed  on  the 


238  HARRY    FRANCO, 

poop,  and  played  some  martial  airs,  which  were 
answered,  seemingly  by  echo,  from  the  French  and 
English  frigates  which  lay  moored  at  some  dis 
tance  from  us.  The  last  tune  played  was,  "  Hail 
Columbia,"  and  as  the  final  note  died  away,  a 
couple  of  violins  struck  up  a  sadly  merry  Scotch 
reel,  in  the  starboard  gangway,  and  all  the 
younger  and  thoughtless  part  of  the  crew  caper 
ed  away  with  great  industry  till  the  perspiration 
ran  from  their  faces  in  streams. 

This  was  all  very  pleasant,  and  fixed  me  in  the 
determination  to  stay  on  board  if  I  could.  The 
Captain,  a  man  of  kind  and  gentlemanly  looks, 
was  walking  the  deck  with  his  thumbs  thrust  in 
the  arm  holes  of  his  waistcoat,  apparently  utterly 
regardless  of  every  thing  around  him.  I  thought 
he  might  be  thinking  of  his  wife  and  little  ones  at 
home,  and  that  it  would  be  a  favorable  opportu 
nity  to  speak  to  him  ;  so  I  stationed  myself  by 
the  fife  rail  of  the  main  mast,  and,  as  he  ap 
proached  me,  I  touched  my  hat  to  him.  He  stop 
ped  and  asked  me  what  I  wanted. 

I  told  him  the  reason  of  my  being  on  board  his 
ship,  and  asked  him  to  allow  me  to  enter  as  an 
ordinary  seaman. 

He  replied   that  he  would  speak  to   the  first 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  239 

lieutenant  about  me   in   the  morning,   and   then 
resumed  his  walk. 

It  was  a  bright  and  pleasant  evening,  the  sea 
breeze  had  just  begun  to  ripple  the  still  surface 
of  the  bay,  and  the  Magellan  clouds,  and  other 
celestial  beauties,  which  are  hid  from  the  gaze  of 
northern  eyes,  'were  beginning  to  show  their 
bright  faces.  I  felt  melancholy,  notwithstanding 
the  mirth  and  laughter  and  boisterous  gayety  of 
those  around  me.  Thoughts  of  home,  of  the 
beautiful  Georgiana  De  Lancey,  and  of  the  harsh 
prophecy  of  my  cousin,  came  over  me  and  op 
pressed  me ;  I  yearned  for  a  sympathetic  bosom, 
with  one  throb  which  beat  in  unison  with  my 
own ;  there  were  none  among  the  living  souls 
around  me.  I  crept  away  unperceived,  and  lay 
down  on  the  top  gallant  forecastle,  and  stretched 
out  my  arms  to  the  huge  fantastic  hills  which 
reared  their  giant  heads  against  the  night  sky. 
####### 

The  next  morning  one  of  the  boatswain's  mates 
told  me  to  go  down  to  the  doctor.  I  accordingly 
went  and  found  him  on  the  birth  deck  with  the 
lob-lolly  boy.  The  doctor  was  a  little  man,  with 
red  hair  and  a  very  long  nose;  he  was  dressed 
in  a  thread-bare  blue  suit  with  tarnished  buttons, 


240  HARRY    FRANCO, 

and  a  black  bombazine  stock  ;  pretty  sure  signs 
that  he  had  a  growing  family  at  home,  which  ab 
sorbed  about  seven  eighths  of  his  pay  and  rations  ; 
but  that  was  no  business  of  r-m'ne.  He  felt  of  my 
arms  and  legs,  pounded  on  my  chest,  and  did 
some  other  things,  the  propriety  of  which  I  could 
not  exactly  understand,  and  having  pronounced 
me  sound  in  limbs  and  body,  I  was  enrolled  on 
the  ship's  papers  as  an  ordinary  seaman. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  241 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Is  devoted  to  a  slight  sketch  of  Lieutenant  Wallop,  and  being 
not  at  all  essential  to  a  proper  development  of  my  adven 
tures,  may  be  read  or  not,  as  the  reader  pleases. 

MR.  WALLOP  was  by  courtesy  gallant,  as  all 
officers  of  the  navy  and  army  are  ;  he  had  seen 
service  on  board  of  a  revenue  cutter,  which 
might  have  been  seen  during  the  time  of  his  com 
mand,  at  least  eleven  months  and  some  odd  days 
out  of  the  year,  lying  quietly  at  anchor  in  the 
neighborhood  of  that  famous  strait  known  to  the 
dwellers  about  Gowannus  Bay  by  the  name  of 
Buttermilk  Channel.  It  was  not  a  service  in 
which  much  renown  was  to  be  gained,  but  in 
which  a  good  deal  of  comfort  could  be  taken,  and 
that  with  some  is  quite  as  desirable  as  fame. 

Mr.  Wallop  was  tall  and  thin  ;  his  face  was 
pale,  and  his  eyes  were  fishy  in  their  aspect.  He 
was  troubled  with  a  cough  which  should  have 
admonished  him  that  his  body  was  made  of  per 
ishable  materials,  the  thought  of  which,  one  would 
suppose,  should  have  softened  his  temper  and 
humanized  his  feelings :  but  the  effect  of  it  was 
the  reverse ;  he  seemed  to  feel  a  spite  towards 

VOL.  i.  21 


. 

242  HARRY   FRANCO, 

every  one  who  enjoyed  better  health  than  himself, 
and  yet  he  never  showed  the   slightest  compas 
sionate  feeling  for  those  who  were  sick  and  feeble, 
but  on  the  contrary,  he  did   all  in  his  power  to 
make  them  miserable.     Some  people,  I  doubt  not, 
considered  Mr.  Wallop  the  very  nicest  person  in 
the  whole  world  ;  for  there  are  those  who  estimate 
a  man's  virtues  by  the  complexion  of  his  garments, 
and  Mr.  Wallop's  vest  was   as  spotless  as  snow, 
and  his  buttons  \vere  innocent   of  rust.     He  was 
cleanly  to   a  degree  passing  credulity.     If  others 
reckoned  cleanliness  among  the  half  "virtues,  he 
considered   slovenliness  as   a  whole   vice,  and  he 
punished  all  dirty  offenders  accordingly.     If  a  man 
by  accident  spit  upon  deck,  he  flogged  him  ;  and  if 
in  his  walks  about  the  ship's  decks,  he  discovered 
a  hat  or  a  jacket,  or  any  other  article,  no  matter 
how  valuable,  out  of  its  proper  place,  he  would 
throw  it  overboard,  without  asking  to  whom  it 
belonged,  or  moving  a  muscle  in  his  face.     Once, 
he  threw   a  jacket  overboard,  which  belonged  to 
an   old  sailor  who  had  lost  an  eye  in  one  of  the 
engagements  of  the  Constitution,  in  the  last  war, 
which  so  enraged  the  old  veteran,  that  he  caught 
up  his  bag,  which  contained  all  his  earthly  store, 
and  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage,  threw  it  out  of  a  port 
hole,  to  keep  his  jacket  company.     Mr.  Wallop 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  243 

smiled,  but  said  nothing ;  and  when  the  old  man 
appeared  at  quarters  without  his  jacket,  the  gal 
lant  lieutenant  stopped  his  grog  for  a  fortnight. 

But  Mr.  Wallop  was  pious ;  he  read  prayers 
every  Sunday  morning  on  the  drum  head  of  the 
capstern,  for  th,ere  was  no  Chaplain  on  board,  and 
in  the  afternoon,  he  read  a  chapter  or  two  from 
the  Bible.  His  readings,  however,  were  never  of 
gentleness  and  mercy,  but  always  of  wrath  and 
indignation.  He  would  smack  his  lips  over  the 
destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  with  as 
much  apparent  satisfaction  as  though  he  had  been 
personally  aggrieved  by  the  abominations  of  those 
wicked  cities ;  and  a  smile  of  delight  would  steal 
over  his  cadaverous  features,  while  he  read  of  the 
terrible  feat  of  Samuel,  in  hewing  down  the  cap 
tive  Agag,  in  Gilgal.  It  is  but  justice,  however, 
to  say,  that  Mr.  Wallop  never  allowed  himself  to 
get  into  a  passion  ;  he  always  had  the  most  per 
fect  mastery  of  his  passions,  and  he  would  give 
the  harshest  commands  in  the  meekest  and  most 
lamb-like  voice. 

One  morning,  while  we  lay  at  anchor  in  Rio, 
he  came  out  of  his  state-room,  just  as  the  ham 
mocks  were  piped  up,  in  his  dressing  gown  and 
slippers,  and  ordered  the  gratings  to  be  rigged, 
and  told  the  boatswain  to  send  Jack  Hanson  to 


244  HARRY    FRANCO, 

him.  It  was  in  the  gray  of  the  morning,  and  the 
night  mists  still  hung  about  the  ship.  Jack  Han 
son  came  aft  to  the  lieutenant ;  he  was  a  weather 
beaten  old  sailor,  who  had  been  petted  by  all  the 
officers  in  the  ship,  except  Mr.  Wallop,  who  never 
petted  any  body  but  himself.  Jack  was  in  some 
sort  a  privileged  character,  and  he  had  been  allow 
ed  to  do,  and  to  say,  any  thing  he  pleased  ;  but  he 
had,  unfortunately,  the  night  before,  drank  a  glass 
of  whiskey,  which  one  of  the  boys  had  contrived 
to  smuggle  out  of  the  ward  room,  to  pay  for  a 
hammock  lashing,  which  Jack  had  grafted  for 
him  ;  and  his  old  head  being  weak,  and  his  blood 
thin,  the  fumes  of  the  liquor  had  warmed  his  feel 
ings,  and  he  had  had  the  audacity  to  sing  "  The 
Guerriere  so  bold,"  in  a  louder  tone  than  exactly 
harmonized  with  Mr.  Wallop's  ear. 

Hanson  had  not  the  slightest  suspicion  that  the 
preparation  for  flogging  were  intended  for  him  ; 
and  when  Mr.  W^allop  told  him  to  take  off  his 
shirt,  the  old  man  turned  pale  with  fright. 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  going  to  flog  me,  sir," 
said  Hanson,  his  lips  trembling  as  he  spoke. 

"  I  am,"  replied  Mr.  Wallop,  calmly. 

"For  what,  sir  ?"  said  Hanson. 

"  For  being  drunk,"  replied  the  lieutenant. 

« When,  sir?" 


A  TALI-:   OK  Till:  PANIC.  245 

"La>l  hi -j  lit." 

"  Heaven  l)le>s  you,"  said  Hanson,  "  I  was 
no  more  drunk  than  the  -heel  am-lior  is  at  this 
moment.  1  was  only  a  little  -uipey." 

"Silence,"  siid  Mr.  Wallop.  "I  say  you 
were  drunk.  Tic  him  up,  quarter  master." 

"I  am  an  old  man,  sir,"  -aid  Ji:m-on,  looking 
Imploringly  up  into  the  lieutenant's  f;irc. 

"  I  know  you  are,"  replied  Mr.  Wallop,  in  his 
mild  and  gentle  voice,  "  and  I  would  flog  you,  if 
you  were  my  grandfather." 

Hanson  was  too  much  of  a  sailor  to  handy 
word.>.  \\ith  hi.-,  ofiieer,  so  he  took  oft*  his  shirt,  and 
the  quarter  master  tied  his  ancles  to  the  grating, 
and  his  wrists  to  two  eye-bolts  in  the  gang-.vay 
above  his  head.  The  boatswain's  mate,  a  stout, 
active  man,  with  an  arm  so  muscular,  as  to  he 
unable  to  strike  a  light  blow,  if  he  had  wished  to, 
took  his  station,  and  leisurely  disentangled  the 
cords  of  his  cat. 

"  Begin,"  said  Mr.  Wallop. 

Hanson  groaned  as  he  heard  the  command 
given,  and  when  the  first  blow  fell  upon  his  bare 
back,  he  gave  a  terrific  shriek  which  went  to  my 
very  heart.  I  had  never  seen  a  man  flogged  be 
fore,  and  I  had  no  idea  that  one  human  being 
could  inflict  such  a  punishment  upon  another.  I 
21* 


246  HARRY    FRANCO, 

shuddered  at  the  thought  of  unwittingly  incurring 
it  myself,  and,  dreadful  as  it  appeared,  the  dis 
grace  appeared  to  me  greater  than  the  suffering. 

The  master  at  arms,  a  gray  headed  old  sailor, 
counted  the  strokes,  as  they  fell  upon  poor  Han 
son's  back,  with  a  tremulous  voice,  and  when  he 
had  counted  twenty-four,  Mr.  Wallop  motioned 
the  boatswain's  mate  to  stop,  and  wrapping  his 
gown  about  his  lank  person,  he  retired  to  his 
state-room,  probably  to  engage  in  his  morning's 
devotions. 

Hanson  was  cut  down,  and  he  went  below  to 
his  berth ;  his  back  was  purple  with  gore.  He 
wanted  for  neither  torts  of  grog,  nor  sympathising 
friends,  but  the  old  tar's  spirit  was  broken,  and 
he  never  again  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  sing 
his  favorite  song  of 

"The  Guerriere  so  bold, 

On  the  foaming  ocean  rolled." 

It  was  not  my  intention  when  I  commenced 
writing  my  adventures,  to  make  an  omnibus  of 
them  ;  but  I  find  that  when  a  man  makes  up  his 
mind  to  go  down  to  posterity,  he  must  of  necessity 
drag  others  along  with  him,  whether  their  compa 
ny  be  agreeable  or  not.  Mr.  Wallop  is  one  of  those 
that  I  am  thus  compelled  to  take  with  me,  but  to 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  247 

render  his  company  as  little  obnoxious  as  possible, 
I  have,  as  it  were,  given  him  an  outside  seat,  all 
alone  by  himself. 


248  HARRY  FRANCO, 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Continues  and  ends  on  Shipboard.     A  narrow  Escape  from  a 
flogging,  and  from  Death. 

THE  next  day  after  I  came  on  board,  I  was  put 
into  a  mess,  and  when  dinner  was  piped,  for  they 
do  nothing  on  board  a  man  of  war  without  first 
being  piped,  I  took  my  seat  with  my  messmates, 
around  a  huge  plumb  pudding,  and  a  kid  of  boiled 
beef. 

I  don't  know  how  it  happens,  but  it  is  always  so 
arranged  on  board  a  man  of  war,  that  there  is  a 
bully,  a  buffoon,  and  a  butt,  in  each  mess.  I  am 
not  certain  that  such  is  not  the  case  every  where ; 
even  in  bodies  of  collected  wisdom,  I  have  heard 
of  things  very  much  like  bullying,  and  buffoonery, 
and  perhaps  there  always  will  be  butts  in  all  socie 
ties,  as  long  as  there  are  inequalities  of  intellects. 

Now,  in  the  mess  which  I  had  joined,  it  chanced 
that  the  butt  had  lately  set  up  for  a  buffoon,  and 
they  immediately  pitched  upon  me  to  fill  the  va 
cancy  which  he  had  left. 

"  I  say,  chummy,"  said  Tom  Sweeny,  the  captain 
of  the  after  guard,  "  aint  your  name  Newcome  ?" 

"  No,"  I  replied. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  249 

"  But  it's  Johnny  Comelately,  aint  it,  you  ?"  said 
a  young  mizen  topman. 

"  No,"  I  replied  again,  doggedly. 

"  Well,  it's  Johnny  Raw,  I  know,"  said  a  fore- 
topman,  who  was  the  bully. 

I  gave  the  bully  an  indignant  look,  but  made 
him  no  reply. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  sloop  mate,"  said 
Mr.  Sweeny,  winking  to  his  messmates,  "  it's  my 
'pinion  the  doctor  won't  pass  you  no  how." 

"  Why  won't  he  ?"  I  said. 

"Because  you  have  got  strong  symptoms  of  the 
fantods  ;  your  skin  is  so  tight  you  can't  shut  your 
eyes  without  opening  your  mouth." 

At  this  bright  sally,  all  the  mess  laughed  very 
heartily,  the  captain  of  the  after  guard,  as  a  mat 
ter  of  course,  laughing  louder  than  any. 

The  late  butt,  who  had  been  absent,  now  joined 
the  mess,  and  perceiving  the  laudable  work  in 
which  his  messmates  were  engaged,  took  his  part, 
by  saying  that  the  boatswain  had  sent  him  to  tell 
me  to  go  down  to  the  purser's  steward,  and  get  a 
piece  of  cheese  to  make  a  fid  for  the  foretopgallant 
mast. 

"  And  when  you  come  along,"  added  an  ugly 
old  brute,  who  acted  as  cook  of  the  mess,  "  please 
lo  give  my  complements  to  the  capting,  and  tell 


250  HARRY    FRANCO, 

him  as  Mister  Swazey  would  be  vverry  much  oblig 
ed  to  him  for  the  loan  of  one  of  his  eperlets,  as  I 
wants  to  go  ashore  this  arternoon,  to  see  my  sweet 
heart,  the  Countess  of  Santos." 

"What  did  you  come  to  sea  for  any  how  ?•" 
asked  the  foretopman. 

"  I  know,"  replied  Mr.  Sweeny,  "  it  was  to  wear 
out  his  old  clothes." 

"  No  it  warn't,"  said  the  cook,  <che  is  a  gentle 
man's  son,  and  he  corned  to  sea  cos  as  they  want 
ed  him  to  marry  a  gal  which  he  didn't  like,  so  he 
run'd  away." 

"I  will  tell  you  what  I  didn't  come  to  sea  for," 
I  said,  jumping  up,  "  I  didn't  come  to  be  made  fun 
of  by  a  dirty  rascal  like  you." 

"  O,  ah  !  didn't  you  mister?"  replied  the  cook. 

"  No,"  I  said,  throwing  down  my  knife,  "  and 
neither  you  nor  any  other  man  shall  make  fun  of 
me."  So  saying,  I  leaped  on  to  the  messcloth, 
and  gave  him  a  blow  in  the  eye,  which  sent  him 
reeling  against  the  bulwarks. 

"  Hallo,  there,"  cried  the  officer  of  the  deck, 
"  what's  all  that  ?" 

"Nothing,  sir,"  answered  the  captain  of  the  af 
ter  guard,  "  only  this  here  Mister  Comelately  wants 
to  take  charge  of  the  ship." 

'«  Very  well,  sir,"   replied  the  officer,  "  let  me 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  251 

hear  no  more  of  this,  or  I  will  make  every  mother's 
son  of  you  drink  six  water  grog  for  a  fortnight." 

Whether  it  was  owing  to  the  threat  of  the  offi 
cer,  or  to  the  attack  I  made  upon  the  cook,  I  can 
not  say,  but  neither  the  bully,  nor  the  buflbon, 
nor  the  captain  of  the  after  guard,  ever  again 
attempted  to  crack  any  jokes  at  my  expense. 

About  a  month  after  this,  part  of  the  starboard 
watch,  to  which  I  belonged,  was  sent  on  to  Hos 
pital  Island  in  charge  of  a  midshipman  and  the 
boatswain,  to  overhaul  some  rigging,  preparatory 
to  our  departure  for  home.  Hospital  Island  is 
one  of  the  pretty  little  spots  of  living  green 
which  dot  the  upper  part  of  the  harbor  of  Rio  ; 
there  is  on  it  a  pile  of  grotesque  old  buildings, 
which  were  once  occupied  as  a  convent,  but 
they  are  now,  or  were,  rented  by  the  United 
States,  for  a  store  house  for  the  government  ships 
on  the  Brazilian  stations. 

Mr.  Ruflally  was  the  officer  whom  the  first 
lieutenant  sent  in  charge  of  the  gang,  with  the 
launch,  and  he  had  strict  orders,  neither  to  allow 
a  boat  to  approach  the  island,  nor  one  to  leave 
it,  lest  grog,  in  some  shape,  should  be  smuggled 
on  board  the  ship  ;  for  Mr.  Wallop  believed  that 
the  Evil  One  entered  mankind  through  their  gul 
lets,  in  the  shape  of  strong  drink,  and  he  was  de- 


252  HARRY    FRANCO, 

termined  that  no  evil  spirits,  nor  any  other  spi 
rits,  should  enter  his  ship's  company,  at  least  in 
that  manner.  But  Mr.  Ruffally  liked  a  horn  him 
self,  and  what  was  more,  he  had  no  objection  in 
the  world  to  others  taking  a  horn,  and  he  was  the 
very  last  man  in  the  steerage  that  Mr.  Wallop 
should  have  sent  in  charge  of  the  starboard 
watch  to  keep  them  sober.  But  the  first  lieu 
tenant  had  never  known  Mr.  Ruffally  to  go  ashore 
with  the  other  midshipmen,  and  he  thought  him 
one  of  the  discreetest  young  gentlemen  in  the 
ship. 

[.  The  reason  why  Mr.  Ruffally  did  not  go  ashore 
was  this :  he  was  once,  before  Mr.  Wallop  joined 
the  ship,  appointed  caterer  of  his  mess,  and  the 
very  first  time  he  went  ashore  to  purchase  provi 
sions,  he  gambled  away  all  the  mess  money, 
pawned  his  side  arms,  lost  his  gold  laced  cap,  and 
came  off  to  the  ship  with  an  old  straw  hat  on  his 
head,  and  his  face  most  wofully  scratched.  The 
consequences  were,  the  mess  had  to  eat  pork  and 
beans  for  the  next  three  months,  and  he  was  not 
allowed  to  go  ashore  until  he  had  furnished  him 
self  with  side  arms,  and  so  forth,  and  the 
state  of  his  finances  had  not  yet  enabled  him  to 
do  so. 

We  had  not  been  on  the  island   long,  when  a 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  253 

little  skiff  was  seen  approaching  the  shore  from 
Pragy  Grand.  Mr.  Ruffally  discovered  the  c  ir- 
pulent  form  of  Portuguese  Joe  seated  in  the 
stern,  and  guessing  the  errand  on  which  the  craf 
ty  smuggler  was  bound,  he  contrived  to  busy  him 
self  in  the  chapel  of  the  convent  in  overhauling 
some  old  rubbish. 

The  little  skiff  touched  the  beach,  and  landed, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  some  dozens  of  blad 
ders  well  filled  with  Aquadente,  and  Portuguese 
Joe  being  well  paid  for  his  trouble,  shoved  off, 
and  continued  on  his  way  towards  the  opposite 
side  of  the  harbor.  Mr.  Ruffally  made  his  ap 
pearance,  and  exchanged  a  knowing  wink  with 
the  boatswain,  and  very  soon  contrived  to  have  a 
whole  bladder  of  Aquadente  to  himself,  to  which 
he  paid  his  respects  so  freely,  that  he  soon  was  un 
der  the  necessity  of  laying  down  on  the  grass,  ob 
serving,  as  he  stretched  himself  out,  that  the  cli 
mate  was  so  enervating  he  should  be  under  the 
necessity  of  leaving  the  ship  if  she  was  not  or 
dered  home  immediately.  It  was  not  long  before 
he  was  snoring,  as  Bill  Littlepenny  said,  like  seven 
bells  half  struck. 

All  work  now  ceased,  or  rather  wre  all  went   to 
work  in  good  earnest,  under  the  directions  of  the 

boatswain,  winding  spun   yarn   round   the   blad- 
VOL.  i.  22 


254  HARRY   FRANCO, 

ders  of  liquor,  so  that  they  could  be  smuggled  on 
board  the  ship,  where  they  would  be  under  the 
charge  of  that  worthy  gentleman,  who  would 
then  be  enabled  to  indulge  in  deep  potations  of 
the  most  abominable  distillation  that  ever  scalded 
the-throat,  or  eat  up  the  liver  of  a  man,  whenever 
he  had  an  inclination.  We  had  hardly  got 
through  with  the  job  of  enclosing  the  bladders  of 
liquor  in  a  covering  of  spun  yarn,  when  the  sig 
nal  was  set  for  the  launch  to  return  to  the  ship. 
Mr.  RufFally  was  too  far  gone  either  to  move  or 
speak,  so  we  lifted  him  into  the  boat,  and  laid 
him  in  the  stern  sheets,  and  shoved  off  for  the 
ship. 

Mr.  Bunker,  the  boatswain,  was  very  happy  ; 
his  eyes  sparkled,  and  his  tongue,  though  appa 
rently  too  big  for  his  mouth,  was  not  idle  a  mo 
ment;  he  cursed,  and  laughed,  and  cried  by 
turns,  and  in  quick  succession  ;  he  told  stories 
about  killing  whales,  and  talked  about  the  Essex 
Junior  and  Commodore  Porter  ;  and  he  bet  his 
silver  call,  chain  and  all,  against  a  head  of  to 
bacco,  with  Bill  Littlepenny,  a  foretopman,  that 
he  could  out  jump  him,  out  lift  him,  out  drink 
him,  and  out  sing  him.  Such  familiarities  from 
the  boatswain,  gave  the  boat's  crew  immense  sa 
tisfaction,  and  we  came  along  side  the  ship  in 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  255 

high  glee.  Myself  and  a  marine  were  the  only 
sober  men  in  the  launch  ;  but  the  others,  drunk 
though  they  were,  had  sense  enough  left  not  to 
make  any  noisy  demonstrations  of  their  happy 
condition,  as  we  came  within  hail  of  the  ship. 

The  captain  was  walking  the  poop,  and  see 
ing  Mr.  Ruffally  lying  in  the  stern  sheets  of  the 
boat,  he  called  out  to  the  boatswain,  to  know  what 
ailed  him. 

"  I  cant  say,  sir,  exactly,"  said  Mr.  Bunker, 
very  prudently  keeping  his  seat,  "  but  I  believe  he 
is  in  a  fit." 

"  A  fit !"  exclaimed  the  captain. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  boatswain,  "  appleplexy,. 
or  something  of  that  sort." 

*' How  long  since  he  was  taken?"  asked  the 
doctor,  who  now  appeared  at  the  gangway. 

"  About  two  hours  since,  sir,"  replied  the  boat 
swain. 

"  In  the  name  of  heaven  !"  exclaimed  the  cap 
tain,  "  why  did  you  not  bring  him  on  board  be 
fore,  or  send  to  the  ship  for  assistance." 

"  I  had  no  orders,  sir,"  replied  the  boatswain, 
gravely,  but  at  the  same  time  giving  a  comical 
twist  of  his  mouth,  which  set  the  whole  boat's 
crew  in  a  broad  grin. 

"  What   stupidity  !"     exclaimed    the    captain. 


256  HARRY    FRANCO, 

"  Bear  a  hand  there,  Mr.  Gravel,"  he  said,  ad 
dressing  the  officer  of  the  deck,  "  and  get  a  whip 
on  the  main  yard,  and  hoist  Mr.  RufTally  on  board, 
in  a  chair." 

The  doctor  ran  below  for  his  phlebotomising 
instruments,  to  be  in  readiness  to  bleed  the  unfor 
tunate  midshipman  to  death,  in  case  he  should  not 
be  dead  already  ;  and  the  whole  ship  was  in  com 
motion*  The  whip  was  overhauled,  and  Mr.  Ruff- 
ally  put  into  a  large  arm  chair,  out  of  the  cap 
tain's  own  cabin,  and  carefully  hoisted  on  board, 
in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time.  His  case 
was  immediately  reported  to  the  first  lieutenant, 
who  reported  it  to  the  captain,  who  ordered  the 
drunken  young  gentleman  to  be  put  under  arrest. 
Mr.  Bunker  was  sent  below  to  his  state-room, 
writh  a  marine,  with  a  rusty  cutlass  in  his  hand, 
to  stand  guard  over  him.  Mr.  Wallop  looked 
paler  than  ever,  and  he  was  seized  with  a  fit  of 
coughing,  which  he  had  no  sooner  recovered  from, 
than '  he  ordered  all  the  gang  who  were  on  the 
island,  o  come  aft  and  toe  a  seam  in  the  deck. 
But  this  was  a  performance  which  none  of  them 
were  equal  to,  except  the  sober  marine  and  myself; 
so  they  were  all  put  in  irons,  and  soon  became 
very  noisy. 

Mr.  Wallop   asked  me  how  the  men  got  their 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  257 

Kquor,  and  whether  they  had  smuggled  any  on 
board.  But  I  remembered  the  kindness  which 
Mr.  RufTally  had  shown  me,  when  I  leaped  into 
the  boat,  and  I  was  resolved  not  to  betray  him,  let 
the  consequences  be  what  they  might.  So  I  re 
plied  to  Mr.  Wallop,  that  I  knew  nothing  at  all 
about  the  matter  ;  as  I  was  not  placed  in  charge 
of  the  men,  I  had  not  troubled  myself  to  watch  their 
actions. 

"  You  lie,  sir,"  said  the  lieutenant,  with  a  little 
more  passion  than  he  usually  showed,  "  you  do 
know  all  about  the  matter,  and  I  will  flog  it  out  of 
you,  if  you  do  not  tell  me/' 

This  threat  was  placing  me  in  an  antagonist 
position,  and  instead  of  terrifying  me,  it  only  in 
spired  me  with  fresh  courage  to  hold  out  in  my 
determination.  As  I  had  conceived  a  most  tho 
rough  contempt  for  Mr.  Wallop,  I  could  not  resist 
the  inclination  to  tell  him,  if  he  attempted  to  flog 
any  thing  out  of  me,  he  would  find  it  would  flog 
it  into  me. 

"  Order  the  gratings  to  be  got  up  instantly, 
sir,"  said  the  captain,  who  overheard  me;  "  and 
if  he  does  not  tell  you,  sir,  give  him  two  dozen." 

The  order  was  obeyed  with  great  alacrity.  The 
gratings  were  placed  in  the  gang-way,  and  the 

boatswain's  mate  summoned. 

22* 


258  HARRY    FRANCO, 

"Now,  you  scoundrel,"  said  Mr.  Wallop,  "  an 
swer  my  question  instantly,  or  I  will  flog  the  life 
out  of  you." 

The  sight  of  the  preparations  for  flogging  were, 
indeed,  terrifying,  and  a  glance  at  the  sturdy  boat- 
swainVmate,  w?ith  his  arm  bared,  and  the  cat  with 
its  thongs  still  red  with  Jack  Hanson's  blood,  in 
his  hand,  made  me  quail  ;  but  I  was  resolved  to 
die,  sooner  than  I  would  yield  to  the  tyrannical 
command  of  the  lieutenant.  I  made  no  reply  to  his 
threat,  except  by  a  shake  of  the  head. 

"  Strip  oflfyour  shirt,  you  wretch,"  he  said,  try 
ing  to  suppress  a  cough,  "  and,  boatswain's  mate, 
pipe  all  hands  to  witness  punishment." 

The  order  was  obeyed.  The  men  came  crowd 
ing  aft  to  the  gangway ;  the  marines  were  turned 
out  under  arms  ;  the  old  gray-headed  master  at 
arms  took  his  station  ;  the  boatswain's  mate  stood 
ready,  and  the  quarter  masters,  with  their  nettles 
in  their  hands,  were  prepared  to  seize  me  up.  I 
took  off  my  shirt,  and  stepped  with  my  bare  feet 
upon  the  gratings  ;  they  put  the  cords  about  my 
ankles,  and  around  my  wrists ;  they  were  in  the  act 
of  making  them  fast,  when  I  made  a  sudden  spring 
on  to  a  gun,  and  then  on  top  of  the  hammock  net 
tings,  and  from  thence  into  the  main  rigging.  It 
was  a  sudden  impulse,  for  the  possibility  of  escape 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  259 

had  never  occurred  to  me,  and,  indeed,  if  the  act 
had  been  premeditated,  I  could  not  have  accom 
plished  it.  Luckily,  there  was  no  one  aloft,  and  I 
reached  the  top  before  the  first  lieutenant  recover 
ed  from  the  astonishment  into  which  my  sudden 
leap  threw  him. 

"  Come  down,  sir,"  called  out  the  captain,  who 
stood  with  his  sword  in  his  hand  on  the  poop. 

But  I  made  no  reply  to  his  command,  and 
sprung  into  the  topmast  rigging. 

"  Jump  aloft  there,  captain  of  the  main  top," 
said  Mr.  Wallop,  "  and  bring  the  rascal  down,  or 
throw  him  out  of  the  top." 

But  the  captain  of  the  top  did  not  jump  quite  as 
fast  as  I  did,  and  before  he  showed  his  head 
through  the  lubber's  hole,  I  had  reached  the  top 
mast  cross-trees,  where  I  stood  with  my  arms  fold 
ed,  and  gazed  about  quite  at  my  leisure.  Two  other 
men  were  sent  up  to  catch  me,  and  as  they  moved 
rather  faster  than  the  captain  of  the  top,  I  climbed 
up  the  topgallant  rigging,  and  then  up  the  royal- 
mast  shrouds,  and  clinging  around  the  foot  of  the 
skysail  mast,  with  my  feet  resting  upon  the  stay 
for  support,  for  a  moment  I  almost  forgot  my  pe 
rilous  situation.  The  higher  I  mounted,  the  lighter 
my  spirits  grew,  and  the  less  fear  I  felt.  So  grand 
and  glorious  a  view  as  met  my  eye,  while  I  gazed 


260  HARRY   FRANCa 

around,  might  have  beguiled  a  man's  thoughts 
even  upon  the  gallows.  But  I  was  not  allowed  to 
enjoy  the  prospect  long.  The  captain  of  the  top 
reached  the  topgallant  mast  head,  and  told  me  if  I 
did  not  come  down,  he  would  certainly  haul  me 
down  ;  but  I  told  him  if  he  came  within  the  reach 
of  my  feet,  I  would  give  him  a  kick,  which  should 
send  him  headlong  to  the  deck,  as  sure  as  his  name 
was  Dick  Smith.  But  the  captain  was  bellowing 
through  his  speaking  trumpet,  commanding  him 
to  shake  me  off  the  mast,  and  Dick  knew  no  bet 
ter  than  to  obey  the  command  of  his  superior, 
even  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  and  he  began  to 
climb  up  towards  me.  My  first  impulse  was  to 
carry  my  threat  into  execution,  which  I  could  have 
easily  done  ;  but  a  better  thought  suggested  itself 
to  me,  and  I  slipped  down  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  royal  shrouds,  and  laying  hold  of  the  topgal 
lant  lift,  slid  down  and  perched  myself  on  the  end 
of  the  yard,  where,  with  my  arms  crossed,  Hooked 
down  upon  deck,  with  a  feeling  of  exultation.  My 
pursuer  was  about  to  follow  me,  when  I  drew  my 
knife,  and  assured  him,  with  an  earnestness  which 
frightened  him,  that  if  he  made  the  attempt  I  would 
cut  the  lift,  and  both  of  us  should  go  overboard  to 
gether. 

The  captain  threatened  to  shoot  me,  if  I  did  not 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  2G1 

come  down,  but  I  preferred  being  shot  to  being 
flogged,  so  I  shook  my  head,  and  folded  my  arms 
again,  and  turned  my  face  towards  the  sun,  which 
was  just  going  down  behind  the  long  range  of 
grotesque  and  lofty  mountains,  which  bound  the 
western  horizon,  giving  their  peaks  of  deepest  blue 
a  tinge  of  gold  and  crimson.  The  Sugar  Loaf, 
and  Gloria  Hill,  and  Cocovado,  began  to  look 
black  and  sombre,  as  the  sun  withdrew  his  rays. 
The  time  for  sending  down  the  topgallant  yards, 
on  one  of  which  I  was  perched,  had  arrived  ;  the 
sun  had  set,  but  the  colors  were  not  hauled  down, 
and  the  sunset  gun  had  not  been  fired. 

I  could  see  all  the  movements  that  were  going 
on  upon  deck,  the  captain  and  first  lieutenant 
were  pacing  the  poop  deck  in  a  rage,  while  the 
other  officers  were  collected  together  in  little 
knots,  and  all  the  men  were  gazing  up  at  me, 
apparently  with  intense  solicitude.  Presently  I 
saw  Mr.  Wallop  speaking  to  the  marine  who  had 
returned  from  the  island  with  me  in  the  launch  ; 
and  from  what  followed  I  supposed  that  he  too 
had  refused  to  tell  how  the  liquor  was  procured ; 
for  he  was  seized  up  at  the  gangway,  and  directly 
his  piercing  cries  rang  through  the  air,  as  the 
boatswain's  mate  laid  the  cat  upon  his  bare  back. 
I  writhed  and  shuddered  every  time  the  boat- 


262  HARRY    FRANCO, 

swain's  mate  raised  his  arm.  They  gave  the 
poor  marine  thirty-six  lashes,  and  then  they  cut 
him  down ;  he  behaved  manfully,  and  refused  to 
divulge  a  word. 

The  captain  seized  his  speaking  trumpet  again, 
and  called  out  to  me  to  come  down,  swearing  a 
horrible  oath,  that  he  would  shoot  me  if  I  did  not. 
I  only  shook  my  head,  and  clung  more  closely  to 
the  lift.  He  called  for  the  sergeant  of  marines, 
who,  I  remembered  having  heard,  was  an  expert 
marksman  with  the  rifle.  The  sergeant  went  upon 
the  poop  with  his  rifle  in  his  hand,  and  the  captain, 
ordered  him  to  take  aim  at  me,  and  fire ;  but  he 
hesitated,  upon  which  the  captain  drew  his  sword, 
and  commanded  him  again  to  fire  at  me,  swearing 
that  he  would  run  him  through  if  he  missed  me. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  felt  any  fear ;  death  was  a 
thousand  times  preferable  to  the  disgrace  of  a  flog 
ging,  besides,  I  felt  myself  innocent  of  any  offence. 
And  there,  too,  were  the  upturned  faces  of  the 
whole  crew,  gazing  at  me  with  their  hearts  in  their 
eyes,  and  I  knew  that  I  had  the  sympathy  of 
every  man  on  board,  with  the  exception  of  the 
captain  and  Mr.  Wallop,  and  even  they,  I  knew, 
could  not  condemn  me  in  their  hearts. 

I  saw  the  sergeant  bring  his  rifle  to  an  aim,  I 
averted  my  head  ;  there  was  a  death-like  stillness 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  263 

on  deck  ;  the  next  moment  I  heard  the  click 
of  the  trigger,  and  quicker  than  the  ball  which 
sped  from  the  rifle  came  the  thoughts  of  my 
mother  and  sister,  the  gentle  Georgiana,  and  the 
prophecy  of  rny  haughty  cousin  ;  now  was  its  ful 
filment,  and  all  my  exertions  had  come  to  nought. 
O  that  these  thoughts  had  corne  but  a  moment  be 
fore  ;  with  them  in  rny  mind,  the  gangway  would 
have  been  divested  of  its  terrors,  the  anguish  of  a 
life  was  crowded  into  the  smallest  conceivable 
space  of  time.  I  made  an  effort  to  raise  my  arm, 
but  it  was  too  late;  the  ball  whizzed  through  the 
air,  and  struck  the  lift  just  beyond  the  reach  of 
my  arm.  It  did  not  cut  it  in  two,  only  two  strands 
of  the  rope  were  severed.  There  was  a  hope  ! 
How  my  eyes  gazed  upon  that  slender  thread 
upon  which  my  earthly  existence  was  hanging, 
and  with  what  a  shock  the  blood  rushed  back  into 
my  head  as  I  saw  it  snap  asunder. 

In  my  fall  from  that  fearful  height  I  glanced 
against  the  main  yard,  which  gave  a  slight  turn 
to  my  body,  just  sufficient  to  carry  me  clear  of  the 
main  chains  into  the  water.  The  rush  of  the  air 
as  I  fell,  the  many-voiced  shriek  of  the  crew,  and 
the  roar  of  the  water  as  I  sank  beneath  its  sur 
face,  all  sound  in  nay  ears  even  now  while  I  write  ; 
and  often  since  have  I  started  from  a  deep  sleep, 


264  HARRY   FRANCO, 

with  the  same  confusion  of  noises  ringing  in  my 
brain. 

I  had  scarcely  touched  the  water  before  a  dozen 
men  had  leaped  overboard  to  rescue  me,  and, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  captain  was  among 
the  number;  they  caught  me  as  I  rose  to  the  sur 
face,  and  lifted  me  into  one  of  the  cutters,  from 
which  I  was  hoisted  on  board  by  the  same  whip 
which  was  got  up  for  Mr.  Ruffally,  the  cause  of 
all  the  tumult.  I  was  scarcely  for  a  minute  insen 
sible  to  all  that  was  going  on,  but  1  did  not  choose 
to  show  any  signs  of  life  till  I  had  been  well  rub 
bed,  and  had  a  glass  of  brandy  poured  down  my 
throat,  when  I  opened  my  eyes,  and  made  a  mo 
tion  with  my  hand,  just  in  time  to  save  myself  from 
being  bled  by  the  doctor,  who  stood  by  me  with 
his  lancet  in  his  hand.  I  was  then  taken  below, 
and  put  into  a  cot,  where  I  lay  comfortable  enough 
for  the  next  three  weeks,  receiving  visits  every 
day  from  the  doctor,  and  congratulations  and 
kind  words  from  all  my  shipmates,  particularly 
from  the  boatswain  and  the  men  who  were  on  the 
island  with  me ;  all  of  whom  had  been  set  at  li 
berty,  without  being  punished,  and  even  Mr. 
Ruffally,  the  drunken  swab  of  a  young  gentle 
man,  was  liberated  from  his  confinement. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  265 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Leave  Rio,  and  arrive  at  New  York :  a  wide  interval,  but  a 
short  chapter. 

DURING  the  time  that  I  was  confined  to  my 
cot,  our  ship  was  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  the 
Corvette  Union;  but  a  revolution  having  broken 
out  in  Rio,  the  American  merchants  residing 
there,  and  the  English  admiral  on  the  station, 
sent  to  our  captain,  requesting  him  to  delay  his 
departure  for  a  few  days,  until  the  result  of  the 
outbreak  should  be  known  ;  but  he  had  promised 
his  crew  that  he  would  weigh  anchor  for  home 
the  day  after  his  relief  should  arrive ;  and  before 
he  returned  an  answer  to  these  requests,  he  called 
the  crew  aft,  and  told  them  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  re 
main,  but  that  he  could  not  do  so  without  they 
would  release  him  from  his  promise  ;  they,  how 
ever,  were  too  anxious  to  get  home  to  do  so, 
and  they  insisted  on  his  fulfilling  it,  which  he 
did. 

Mr.  Wallop's  cough  had  grown  so  bad  he  con 
sidered  it  prudent  to  remain  on  the  station,  and 
when  he  left  the  ship,  the  crew  could  hardly  be 

restrained  from  giving  three  cheers.     The  third 
VOL.  i.  23 


266  HARRY    FRANCO, 

day  after  the  ship  left  Rio,  I  came  upon  deck,  and 
continued  to  perform  my  duty  the  remainder  of 
the  time  I  was  on  board,  without  experiencing 
any  inconvenience  from  the  effects  of  my  fall. 
The  officer  who  succeeded  Mr.  Wallop  as  first 
lieutenant,  was  Mr.  Futtuck,  a  good  sailor  and  a 
strict  disciplinarian  ;  under  his  command  the  du 
ty  of  the  ship  was  well  performed  ;  the  crew  were 
cheerful  and  obedient,  and  the  cat  was  dispensed 
with.  The  brutalizing  exhibition  of  one  man 
flogging  another  was  never  again  repeated.  Mr. 
Futtuck  was  not  one  of  those  imbeciles,  who  are 
forced  to  seek  the  aid  of  a  boatswain's  mate 
to  compel  respect  from  their  inferiors  in  sta 
tion. 

We  were  favored  with  bright  skies  and  full  sails 
on  our  homeward  passage,  and  on  the  forty-seventh 
morning  after  leaving  Rio,  we  came  in  sight  of 
v  the  Highlands  of  Neversink,  with  their  woody 
sides  and  white  beach,  standing  like  an  old 
friend,  to  greet  me  on  my  return,  with  an  unchan 
ged  face. 

The  wind  being  favorable,  we  sailed  directly 
up  to  the  Navy  Yard,  and  the  next  day  the  crew 
were  paid  off.  As  I  was  only  rated  an  ordinary 
seaman,  it  will  readily  be  supposed  that  the 
amount  of  my  wages  was  but  small,  which  was 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  267 

true  enough,  and  yet  I  was  paid  off  with  more 
than  double  the  amount  that  any  of  the  crew  had 
to  receive. 

Mr.  Futtuck,  the  first  lieutenant,  called  the 
petty  officers  together  the  morning  on  which  we 
were  paid  off,  and  told  them  if  they  did  not  get 
up  a  subscription  for  me,  as  a  compliment  for  my 
generosity  in  refusing  to  inform  on  them,  even 
at  the  risk  of  my  life,  they  were  no  men,  and 
not  deserving  the  name  of  sailors;  and  he  pro 
mised  them  if  they  did  not,  he  would  work  the 
souls  out  of  them,  if  he  ever  caught  either  of 
them  on  board  of  a  ship  again. 

They  all  acknowledged  it  to  be  a  good  and 
seamanlike  proposition,  and  showed  their  convic 
tions  of  its  propriety,  by  ripping  out  some  of  the 
roundest  oaths  that  were  ever  uttered.  A  paper 
was  accordingly  drawn  up,  requesting  the  purser 
to  stop  out  of  each  man's  pay  the  sum  which 
should  be  subscribed  against  his  name,  and  to  pay 
the  same  over  to  me. 

Mr.  Ruffally  headed  the  list,  by  putting  down 
his  name  for  fifty  dollars  ;  but  it  was  not  paid,  as 
he  had  already  overdrawn  his  account ;  but  he 
told  me  not  to  think  the  less  of  his  generosity,  as 
he  intended,  when  he  went  back  to  North  Caroli 
na,  to  make  me  a  present  of  a  rice  plantation 


268  HARRY   FRANCO, 

and  a  hnndred  negroes.  The  boatswain,  deter 
mined  not  to  be  outdone  by  a  reefer,  put  down  his 
name  for  fifty  dollars,  which  was  paid.  When 
the  list  was  handed  in  to  the  purser,  it  amount 
ed  to  something  more  than  a  thousand  dol 
lars. 

As  I  was  the  last  man  that  joined  the  ship,  I 
was  the  last  paid  off;  and  when  the  purser  reach 
ed  me  a  check,  I  was  startled  at  the  amount,  and 
told  him  he  had  made  a  mistake ;  for  I  knew 
nothing  about  the  subscription,  it  having  been 
kept  a  secret  from  me  on  purpose.  When  the 
purser  explained  to  me,  and  told  me  the  money  all 
belonged  to  me,  I  could  not  help  bursting  into 
tears.  I  told  him  my  conscience  would  not  allow 
me  to  keep  the  money,  as  I  had  done  nothing  to 
entitle  me  to  it. 

"  Don't  be  a  simpleton,*'  said  the  purser,  "you 
must  take  it,  for  the  men  are  now  all  ashore,  and 
most  of  them  drunk  before  this  time.  So  take  the 
check,  and  make  a  good  use  of  the  money.  I  am 
only  sorry  it  is  not  twice  as  much.'* 

So  I  put  the  check  into  my  pocket,  and  having 
packed  up  my  few  clothes  in  a  canvass  bag,  I  was 
about  leaving  the  ship,  when  Mr.  Futtuck  called 
me  to  him  on  the  quarter  deck. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  269 

"  Now,   Franco,"    said   Mr.   Futtuck,    "  how 
much  money  have  they  given  you  ?" 

I  showed  him  the   check  which  the  purser  had 

* 
given  me. 

"  Now  that  is  something  like,"  he  exclaimed  ; 
"  I  am  glad  of  it ;  you  deserve  it  all,  and  more 
too.  If  it  were  not  for  my  poor  old  aunt,  who  is 
on  my  hands  just  now,  God  bless  her!  I  would 
add  something  handsome  to  it,  I'm  d — d  if  I 
wouldn't.  However,  it's  a  pretty  good  sum  ;  more 
than  I  ever  expect  to  be  worth,  unless  the  <  bill' 
should  pass  both  houses,  and  I  know  it  wont. 
But,  my  fine  fellow,  don't  go  among  the  girls 
with  a  copper  in  your  pocket ;  they  are  the  very 
devil  for  getting  money  away  from  sailors,  as  I 
know  to  my  cost.  And  take  my  advice,  and  don't 
go  to  sea  again  ;  it's  a  dog's  life.  And  yet  it  is 
a  pity  that  you  should  not,  for  I  don't  know  ex 
actly  what  a  smart  youngster  like  you  could  do 
ashore  ;  perhaps  you  might  get  the  cashiershjjp  of 
a  bank,  or  something  of  that  sort.  However, 
keep  a  stiff  upper  lip,  and  if  the  bill  for  creating 
admirals  should  pass  through  Congress,  I  will 
use  my  influence  with  the  Secretary  to  get  you  a 
midshipman's  warrant.  I  will,  upon  my  soul ;  but 
the  service  is  going  to  kingdom  come,  as  it  is. 
Bless  my  soul,  it  eats  into  my  happiness,  like 


270  HARRY   FRANCO, 

salt  water  on  a  gilt  button,  to  think  that  a  set  of 
broad-shouldered,  strong-fisted,  stout-hearted, 
clear-headed,  and  free-thoughted,  fine  fellows, 
should  be  at  the  mercy  of  a  third  rate  lawyer  or 
a  second  rate  hack  novelist  —  fellows  that  don't 
know  a  cat-head  from  a  cat-harping." 

Knowing  it  was  a  peculiarity  of  Mr.  Futtuck's 
to  talk  as  long  as  any  one  would  listen  to  him,  I 
thought  there  would  be  no  more  incivility  in  cut 
ting  him  short  at  one  time  than  another.  So  I 
thanked  him  for  his  kind  promises  and  good  ad 
vice,  which  I  promised  faithfully  to  observe,  and 
bade  him  good  bye. 

I  took  my  bag  under  my  arm,  jumped  into  the 
boat  along  side,  and  pulled  myself  ashore. 

All  my  shipmates  had  left  the  ship  some  time 
before  me,  and  she  looked  dreary  enough.  The 
only  signs  of  life  about  her  were  two  or  three 
midshipmen  standing  on  the  poop,  looking  very 
anxiously  upon  the  green  fields  of  the  Wall  about. 
Her  colors  were  hauled  down,  her  masts  housed, 
her  rigging  was  hanging  about  in  disorder,  and 
her  top  gallant  yards,  the  scene  of  my  triumph, 
lay  upon  deck.  I  gave  her  a  parting  glance,  and 
calling  to  mind  the  gang-way  and  gratings,  and 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PANIC.  271 

the  cat  o'nine  tails,  I  turned  my  back  upon  her, 
and  quickened  my  pace. 

My  first  object  was  to  find  a  boarding  house, 
and  to  divest  myself  of  my  short  jacket  and  nan 
kin  collared  shirt. 


END  OF  VOL.  I, 


U.C.BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


